Excitement sizzles for National Winter Games

HOHHOT, China — The countdown to China's 14th National Winter Games, which will open in Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Feb 17, has begun.

The four-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for extensive upgrades to the venues and infrastructure, using the experience of the Beijing Winter Olympics as a reference.

The Inner Mongolia Ice Sports Training Center, the main venue for the Games in the host city of Hulun Buir, has undergone a series of upgrades to meet the standard for high-level competition.

"A total of 44 upgrades have been completed, including improvements to lighting, power supply and water filtration," said Xian Xuerui, deputy director of the training center.

"The original high-energy lighting has been upgraded to reduce energy consumption by up to 70 percent. In addition, the venue is powered by renewable energy sources," Xian added.

The legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics has allowed the bobsleigh and luge events, which previously had to be held abroad, to take place in Yanqing National Sliding Center.

The National Winter Games will also incorporate ski mountaineering, a newly added event to the program of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

"Although the 14th National Winter Games were postponed for four years, it was a time of growth for us," said Zhang Zhi, deputy director of Inner Mongolia Sports Bureau. "We are now better prepared to host athletes and spectators from all over the country."

People in Inner Mongolia are eagerly anticipating the Games, including volunteers, students, and businessmen.

"I've been preparing for four years, and I'm a little impatient," said Bao Shanshan, a returning volunteer, who was originally selected to participate in the event in 2020, before it was postponed.

Bao is undergoing pre-tournament training. "Now I'm a volunteer at the ice hockey venue. Although the position is different from the one I was originally assigned four years ago, my dream has finally come true."

In a middle school in Hulun Buir, the theme song of the National Winter Games can be heard echoing along the corridors, and students head to the playground to play snow soccer and have snowball fights.

"The Games will open in a month, and the students all want to see short track speed skaters Wu Dajing and Fan Kexin racing on their doorsteps as soon as possible," said Hu Huiting, principal of Nankai Road Middle School.

"By the time school starts again, there may be more students joining the ice and snow sports teams," Hu added.

The 14th National Winter Games have had a significant impact on Hulun Buir in terms of infrastructure, tourism and the ice and snow industries.

The city has invested in the renovation of roads and sidewalks in the vicinity of the competition venues, as well as the renovation of old residential communities, improving the overall image of the city.

In recent years, Hulun Buir has hosted series of winter tourism events to entice visitors.

In the Hulun Buir Ancient City scenic area, large ice sculptures showcase figure skaters, reindeer herds, and other winter scenes. Visitors can enjoy the ice sculptures and also browse the 14th National Winter Games licensed merchandise stores.

"The Beijing Winter Olympics has raised the bar for the quality and standards of licensed merchandise for major sporting events," said Xu Weijing, manager of a local cultural communications company. "The sports event offers a great opportunity for the cultural and tourism industry. We have improved our creative design and cultural promotion abilities."

"Hulun Buir still has many untapped ice and snow resources. It has the natural geographical conditions to build tourist ski resorts and winter outdoor equipment testing bases," said Xuan Mingmei, director of the Hulun Buir Ice and Snow Industry Research Institute.

The city also plans to develop the ice and snow equipment manufacturing industry in the future. "We can't wait for the National Winter Games to arrive. We believe that by leveraging this opportunity, our ice and snow industry will enter a new phase," said Xuan.

Xinhua