What they say

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of ski fields in our province, which is an advantage in developing relevant tourism programs. In the last Winter Olympic games, China won nine medals, five of which were won by athletes from Jilin. The provincial government calls for us to build a snow and ice sport province.

Vasaloppet in Jingyue has been working for years, accumulating rich experience. The entry to the Worldloppet will increase Changchun festival's professionalism and raise public awareness, which will be very important to boost Jilin's economic development.

Jilin has a rich ice and snow cultural heritage. However, compared with European and American countries, we are still falling behind.

Song Jixin, director of the physical education office of Jilin province

In recent years, ice and snow-related tourism has developed from playing with ice and snow to hosting professional and international snow and ice sports races. It is a leap to boost tourism.

In the past, summer was the peak season to attract tourists and now winter is a peak season as well with Changchun Vasaloppet gaining the Worldloppet recognition.

The ski race is our most important attraction to bring more tourists in the winter.

Zhao Xiaojun, director of the Jilin tourism administration

The core function of the international sports races is to raise public awareness. In Chang-chun, the Vasaloppet has triggered many locals' interest in skiing. The city also invites hiking events, bicycle races and a series of mass sports activities, aiming to build the city with a brand of sports and leisure activities, sparking people's enthusiasm to join outdoor activities. The current challenge is to build more facilities to accommodate more tourists and athletes.

Shao Daming, director of the Changchun tourism bureau

Changchun has a foundation to develop ice and snow sports. To continue boosting people's passion for ice and snow sports, we will take advantage of current ski fields, hosting various races to cater to needs from different groups, ranging from kids and teens to senior citizens. In addition, our current activities, such as the students' snow and ice winter camp, has received positive feedback, and we will continue to host such programs to better serve people's needs.

Jeremy Hamm, director of the Changchun physical education office

(China Daily 01/01/2015 page6)