Chinese authorities claim 210,000 people have visited Beijing's Ice Ribbon since it opened to the public ©Getty Images

Officials have claimed that Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval has had more than 210,000 visitors through the doors in the eight months since it opened to the public.

The arena, dubbed the "Ice Ribbon," was built specifically for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and was the venue for 13 days of competition during the Games.

"The goal of the National Speed Skating Oval is to be a comprehensive ice and snow sports center with sports events, other activities related to fitness, culture and leisure, as well as exhibitions and social welfare," venue deputy manager Cheng Shujie said.

 "This is the best speed skating rink in Beijing, and it's friendly to not just professionals but also beginners.

Gao Tingyu's victory in the men's 500 metres was China's only speed skating gold at Beijing 2022 ©Getty Images
Gao Tingyu's victory in the men's 500 metres was China's only speed skating gold at Beijing 2022 ©Getty Images

Local skater Ning Hong told Chinese state media: "It's one of the privileges Beijing citizens have after the Winter Olympics.

"After coming inside, many students feel that this arena is not the same as the venues we see in other places, we can see that this venue is more professional and the ice surface is smoother.

"The ice has been divided into different areas to accommodate the different levels of skating."

Beijing 2022 organisers had claimed that over 300 million Chinese people had taken up winter sports as a result of the Winter Olympics.

The venue is also the training base for China’s national speed skating squad.

China’s only speed skating medal at the Winter Olympics came when Gao Tingyu won the men’s 500 metres in an Olympic record of 34.32 seconds.