SPORTS> China
Nordic sports games find devotion in China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-13 10:03

CHANGCHUN, Northeast China - As the first Chinese version of Birkebeinerrittet, the world's biggest mountain bike race, kicked off here on Saturday, Changchun became the first Chinese city to hold all the three Nordic events.

Morten Nergard, director of Birkebeinerrittet Organizing Committee, told Xinhua on Sunday, "Changchun almost shares the same latitude with Norway and boasts beautiful natural scenes and wonderful race tracks as well as the passion of the citizen, so we are considering to settle Birkebeinerrittet down here."

More than 100 athletes from the United States, France, Norway and China participated in the first Birkebeinerrittet China which was held in Jingyuetan National Forest Park, Changchun.

According to an official, if Birkebeinerrittet can settle down in the city, Changchun will become the only Chinese city that regularly hold three famous Nordic sports games, also including Vasaloppet, the cross-country ski race , and Lidingoloppet, the cross-country running race.

Vasaloppet China International Cross-country Ski Race is held once a year in Changchun since 2003, and so is Lidingoloppet since 2008.

Changchun has the strength to host the three games together in a year.

"The number of the players who participated in the first Vasaloppet China was less than 700, but there were more than 1,000 professional players and over 4000 fans took part in the game this year," said Gong Wenbin, chairman of Changchun Jingyuetan Traveling Development Group.

So the sponsors do have the confidence to see the games through.

According to the officials of Changchun government, the import of the Nordic sports events has lit the citizen's passion in body-building, more and more people walking, running, biking in Jingyuetan National Forest Park all the year around.

Meanwhile, the boom of the sports accelerated the development of trade in Changchun. "The bargains with a sum of 1.7 billion euro were signed in the 6th Vasaloppet China and the number was 0.1 billion euro in the first year," Gong said.

Moreover, the holding of the Nordic sports games made Changchun more eye-catching than before. The European TV channels telecast several Nordic sports games held in Changchun.