Hebei bustles with winter sports competitions

More than 2 million people in Hebei province, including some as young as kindergarten children, have participated in ice and snow events since August, along with older roller skating enthusiasts and competitors from schools and associations, according to the provincial sports bureau.

Hebei held the first round of games last year to encourage more people to participate in winter sports. It has set an ambitious goal of involving 30 million of its 76 million people in winter sports by 2022, when Zhangjiakou and Beijing will co-host the 24th Winter Olympic Games.

The Second Hebei Provincial Ice and Snow Games, which runs until March, will host six sports, including skiing, skating and ice hockey. So far, it has held more than 700 competitions in its 11 cities.

Hebei has about 200 skating arenas, including 72 under construction, more than 170 winter sports associations and more than 20,000 instructors for ice and snow events, ranking the first across the nation in all categories, the bureau said.