Provincial winter games set to open in Hebei

Provincial ice and snow games are set to open on Saturday in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, co-host of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, officials said at a news conference in Shijiazhuang on Thursday.

Five thousand athletes and 500 teams will participate in more than 300 competitions, which began in July and will be completed in the final games on Wednesday, said Tian Jun, deputy head of the Hebei Bureau of Sport. Most of the preliminary competitions were held before the opening.

"The annual games started in 2019, aiming to promote the province as a place with enhanced ability and atmosphere for winter sports," Tian said.

Venues for the games have been set in Chongli district, where some snow events of the Beijing Olympic Games were held, as well as in Kangbao county and the city's downtown area. The National Cross-Country Skiing Centre in Chongli, which was an Olympic venue, will also be used.

To make full use its post-Olympics legacy, Zhangjiakou held more than 30 competing events at past venues and neighboring areas last year. This year, more than 100 have been planned, Tian said.