Ice rinks cool down Chinese fans in roasting summer

In Beijing, the renovated Capital Indoor Stadium for short track speed skating and figure skating events at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games has officially opened to the public, attracting many citizens to participate in ice sports.

Local authorities in Nanjing have released a slew of policies, including handing out vouchers for sports activities worth 10 million RMB ($1.48 million) this year to boost sports consumption.

"The unparalleled passion generated from the Winter Olympics looms large, making it trendy to take up ice and snow sports," said Zhu Chengxing, head of the Jiangsu Ice and Snow Sports Association, adding that the eastern province has now built 48 ice and snow facilities, with a total area of 630,000 square meters.

"We are determined to make the winter sports more popular here, especially among teenagers, through hosting more events and developing more ice and snow projects," Zhu said.