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1月11日电 (林琬斯)近日，有传闻称资生堂中国裁员40%。11日，资生堂中国回应中新经纬称，相关传言与事实不符。 资生堂中国表示，资生堂中国于2024年开始实施新的品牌组合战略以夯实业务基础。相应地，内部也正 春节假期中国快递包裹投递量日均同比增82.1% 中新社北京2月18日电 (记者 刘育英)中国国家邮政局监测数据显示，今年春节长假期间(2月10日至17日)，中国邮政快递业投递快递包裹6.41亿件，日均投递量与2023年春节假期 中新经纬2月18日电 龙年首场寒潮来袭，雨雪、大风、沙尘暴齐袭，多地高速受影响堵车或暂时封闭、列车停运。 中央气象台18日晨将寒潮预警提升至橙色，这也是寒潮预警的最高等级。预计，2月18日至22日，我国大部地区将自 锦绣中国年 | 天津重点监测商贸企业春节假期销售额同比增11.2% 中新网天津2月18日电 (记者 王君妍 通讯员 王 张欣悦)今年春节假期为期8天，是一个“超级假期”，消费市场火爆程度也尤盛往日。记者从天津市商务局 商务部新闻发言人2月22日表示，春节期间，消费市场年味浓、活力足、人气旺，销售较快增长，实现良好开局。预计一季度消费市场将呈现平稳增长态势。春节期间，消费活动丰富多彩。商务部举办全国网上年 中国经济导报、中国发展网讯 为加快构建“一区三圈四园”产业发展新格局，发挥商务楼宇安商引商的引擎作用，2月21日，《海口市秀英区促进楼宇经济高质量发展扶持政策（试行）》（以下简称《扶持政策》）发布实施， 。本文链接：Winter sports can heat up further in Chinahttp://www.sushuapos.com/show-5-45704-0.html
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