SHI YU/CHINA DAILY
The 9th Asian Winter Games, which opened in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Friday, is likely to see China's outstanding performance in the events because the country ranked third in the medal tally in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
China has come a long way in becoming a force in winter sports. China's northern regions provide an ideal setting for winter sports because of the massive snow cover during winter.
The temperate climate in southern China may have made people believe that winter sports are suitable only for the north. This was true when China decided to make a breakthrough in winter sports four decades ago, because it started with skating and, not surprisingly, 90 percent of the national team members were from the north, especially from Northeast China.
For decades, Chinese athletes have been winning medals in Asian and international winter games in speed skating and figure skating. But they soon found they could not increase their medal tally because they were too weak in skiing, and very few people were taking part in winter sports.
That reality largely prompted China to apply to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022 to not only try and win more medals as the host country but also encourage more people to take part in ice and snow sports. When applying to host the Winter Olympics, China worked out an ambitious plan to increase the number of people taking part in winter sports from a few million to 300 million within a few years.
Recent data show that, boosted by China's successful hosting of the Winter Olympics, a winter sports fever is spreading across China, including South China, and more than 313 million people are taking part in ice skating, skiing or have become avid winter sports fans. China today has more than 3,300 winter sports venues with over 30 percent of them being skiing facilities. The number is increasing by double digits every year.
The popularity of winter sports has given birth to a new industry. The cold northern regions such as Beijing, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Xinjiang are likely to collect millions even billions of yuan as entrance and service fees this season. More factories have been set up to produce winter sports gear and equipment. A State Council document published recently says that the winter sports industry is likely to be worth 1.2 trillion yuan before 2027.
But to make winter sports development sustainable, a lot more needs to be done.
The skiing venues are usually deep in the mountains, far from city centers. It can be dangerous and time-consuming to drive to such venues in poor weather conditions. As such, special trains should be designated to and from such venues, and highways leading to them should be well maintained to ensure skiers and speed skaters reach there safely.
The entrance fees to the skiing venues range from 200 yuan to 800 yuan. Add to that the cost of transportation, accommodation, equipment renting and coaching and the cost could reach a couple of thousand yuan for just one visit. Hence, measures should be taken to reduce the cost of skiing and ice skating. This can be done by building more venues, leading to competitions among the operators. Government watchdogs, on their part, should check the entry and other prices carefully to prevent operators from making excessive profits in the name of developing winter sports.
Besides, the number of entries to the venues should be controlled at "hot" skating and skiing venues, in order to ensure consumers have better training experience and can avoid potential dangers and injuries. The venues should also have good medical equipment and qualified doctors to treat injured athletes and amateur learners.
Only when the above problems are addressed can we turn millions of potential winter sports fans into trained athletes and build a strong talent pool that will help China excel in regional and international winter games.
中新经纬2月18日电 2024年1月，中国上市公司迎来辞旧迎新的阶段。回顾往年，年度业绩报告及年终活动吸引眼球；展望新年，企业趁势推出龙年产品和新春活动促活市场。东方甄选余热不减、位列品牌热榜前十，董宇辉相关议题继 长三角观察｜揽人、赶工、抢订单：春节拼经济“热辣滚烫” 2月10日是正月初一，上午10点，满载工业品、电子产品和衣帽服饰的新春首列“义新欧”中欧班列从浙江义乌铁路口岸出发，驶往西班牙马德里。 在江苏昆山的华 当前，进一步推动我国经济回升向好需要克服一些困难和挑战，主要体现为有效需求不足、社会预期偏弱等问题。习近平总书记在中共中央政治局第十一次集体学习时强调，新质生产力是创新起主导作用，摆脱传统 农工党中央召开两会情况通报会农工党中央拟向全国政协十四届二次会议提交34件中央提案、26件界别小组提案中国改革报、中国发展网记者田新元2月20日，在全国两会即将召开之际，农工党中央在京召开中央和 新华社记者王自宸、宋立崑、侯文坤受大范围低温雨雪冰冻天气影响，至22日5时，湖北省绝大部分市县出现1至9厘米积雪。湖北省应急部门于22日10时将低温雨雪冰冻灾害应急响应由四级提升至三级。湖北各地各 新华社记者徐海波、王自宸、宋立崑连日来，湖北省交通运输厅视频调度室里时常灯火通明，各项除雪保畅决策和指令第一时间下发到各路段。20日起，湖北自西向东将出现一轮大范围雨雪冰冻天气，局部地区将出现大 。本文链接：Winter sports can heat up further in Chinahttp://www.sushuapos.com/show-5-45704-0.html
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