China News Service, Shanghai, September 26 (Reporter Xu Jing) At the 48th World Skills Competition being held in Shanghai, young skills athletes from around the world competed on the same stage and showed off their strengths. Behind the exciting competitive scenes, there is a group of low-key but reliable behind-the-scenes guardians - the venue managers of each event. Their quick response and efficient handling were recognized by the Secretariat of the World Skills Organization and rated as “Amazing”.
During the interview, the reporter learned that during the preparations for this World Skills Competition (hereinafter referred to as the "World Competition"), multiple competition events have successively experienced emergency adjustment needs for materials, venues, and equipment. Taking the masonry project as an example, on the morning of September 19, the masonry project competition management working meeting pointed out that the original mortar viscosity did not meet the standard, and 8 tons of yellow sand needed to be added for dilution and deployment. On the afternoon of the same day, the competition director of the World Skills Organization Secretariat sent an email, requesting the venue to make every effort to ensure the quality of the event.
Wang Jiancheng, site manager of the masonry project, told reporters that ordinary yellow sand was not selected for this deployment, but fine sand with the best effect and the most stable standard was selected based on the highest competition standards. Due to the difficulty of purchasing fine sand and the extremely tight preparation time, all relevant links were accelerated. From supply organization, budget approval, logistics transportation to on-site unloading, the entire process was seamlessly connected. The team worked all night, loaded and transported sand overnight, and completed all 8 tons of fine yellow sand before 2 a.m. and put it in place. Before the competition, experts from various countries reviewed the new mortar formula and gave it high recognition, laying a solid foundation for fair competition in masonry projects.
The aircraft maintenance event venue also encountered a thorny problem. Two helicopters with a total length of over 12 meters arrived at the site 36 hours before the completion of the venue. The narrowest part of the venue channel is only 6 meters, so the space for entering and setting up is extremely limited. Aircraft maintenance site manager Wu Biying led the team to conduct scientific research and finalize the optimal plan through virtual reality deduction, animation simulation, physical measurement and other methods. Without dismantling the existing structure, damaging adjacent booths, or affecting the overall progress, it took only 2 hours to smoothly move two large helicopters into the workstation.
Automobile painting, mechatronics and other competitions also refreshed the guaranteed speed. On September 21, car painting project experts and players reported that the original gas bottle storage area was insufficient and could not meet the storage needs of the event. At that time, the entire venue had been set up, and fine-tuning and renovation could easily affect the whole body. The event team quickly researched and determined the plan to renovate the spectator passage and expand the storage area. After reporting to the WorldSkills Organization for approval, the construction was optimized based on existing materials and the area transformation was completed within two hours. During the same period, some equipment and materials that were originally required to be kept confidential in the mechatronics project were not fenced. After the design team received the urgent construction request, they completed the construction within 2 hours.
The skill competition managers of the two events and experts from other countries and regions were all surprised by the extremely fast processing efficiency and considered this guarantee speed to be a "miracle". The Competition Director of the WorldSkills Organization Secretariat also sent an email and spoke highly of the response speed.
Behind the fast and reliable emergency response is a high-quality and experienced site management support team. Among the venue managers for the 64 events of this World Championship, more than 60% have experience in Kazan and Lyon World Championships, and many have won gold medals in previous World Championships; most of them have served as technical observers for the National Vocational Skills Competition, and have been deeply involved in the organization of Shanghai World Championship selections at all levels. They are proficient in international competition rules, venue layout, material planning and cross-cultural communication skills, and have solid professional skills and mature on-site handling capabilities.
Pan Chenhan, a teacher at Shanghai Construction Management Vocational and Technical College, is one of them. In 2017, he won China's first gold medal in the floral art event at the 44th World Championships. At this World Championships, he passed the all-English assessment and was appointed as the site manager of the floral art project. Having experienced international competitions, he is well versed in players' competitive mentality and competition needs. He carefully avoids interference factors such as differences in flowering period and lighting color, and strives to create a fair, stable, professional and standardized competition environment for players from all over the world. "In the past, others protected me, but now it is me who protects every skilled player who pursues their dreams." Pan Chenhan said. (over)
