BEIJING, China — As Eileen Gu won gold in freestyle skiing big air, Winter Olympics viewers couldn't get enough of the venue's dystopian vibe.
When viewers saw giant towers that some thought were straight out of "The Simpsons," many took to social media to ask whether the skiers were competing at a nuclear power plant.
In truth, the Big Air Shougang Park is at the site of a former steel mill that once billowed smoke into smoggy Beijing. The sprawling industrial park was shuttered in conjunction with Beijing's efforts to clean up its image and its air around the 2008 Games. It has since been converted to a sports and culture center.
One of the centerpieces at the former Shougang Group steel mill is the Olympic big air jump — the first permanent, city-based venue the sport has ever had.
Freestyle skiers are competing there this week, and snowboarders will come by next week.
Here's a taste of how the Twitterverse reacted to the Olympics venue:
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Beijing Olympic Games
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