Changchun to host Winter Universiade

Changchun has been chosen to host the 33rd Winter Universiade in 2027, the International University Sports Federation announced on Wednesday, marking a major boost for tourism and economic development in Northeast China's Jilin province.

At the FISU executive committee meeting held in Changchun on Wednesday afternoon, the city successfully won the bid to host the event following a vote by the committee members.

The announcement marked the return of the international sports event for university students to China, following the hosting of the 31st Summer Universiade in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in 2023.

The FISU Winter Universiade is held every two years in different cities around the world, with the aim of promoting international university sports and culture. It is the largest comprehensive winter sports event for university students worldwide, attracting thousands of student athletes during each edition.

The Changchun 2027 Winter Universiade will take place from Jan 15 to 25. "The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the Changchun Five Rings Sports Center, with competitions taking place in Changchun, which is the main venue, and Jilin city, which is the secondary venue," Gu Gang, mayor of Changchun, said at a news conference after the meeting. "The games will feature 12 major disciplines and 93 subdisciplines."

According to Gu, the ice events include speed skating, short track speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and curling.

The snow events include cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, biathlon, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ski mountaineering and ski orienteering.

Changchun will host all the ice events as well as cross-country skiing, ski orienteering, and aerials in freestyle skiing, totaling eight major disciplines and 50 subdisciplines.

The Jilin city venues — Lake Songhua Resort and Beidahu Ski Resort — will host alpine skiing, ski mountaineering, biathlon, snowboarding, and the slopestyle, big air and half-pipe events in freestyle skiing, totaling five major disciplines and 43 subdisciplines.

"Located in the world's golden latitude for snow, Changchun is known as the 'City of Powder Snow', boasting six major ski resorts, 52 ski trails, and numerous winter sports activities, making it a skiing paradise," said Gu. "Changchun, a famous sports city, has hosted major events like the Asian Winter Games, National Winter Games, and has produced Olympic champions."

Gu added that Changchun will fulfill its responsibilities as the host city, striving to present to the world a grand ice and snow sports event with Chinese characteristics, demonstrating the spirit of the times and showcasing youthful vitality.

In recent years, Changchun has focused on developing the ice and snow industry, creating winter tourism projects and accelerating the transformation of cold resources into hot economy.

"Hosting this 33rd Winter Universiade is a great development opportunity for the tourism and economic sectors of Jilin province — the whole world will see you and the winter sports you propose," said FISU President Leonz Eder. "And of course it is also a great opportunity for FISU to further develop our ties with the region and the country as a whole."

FISU Secretary-General and CEO Matthias Remund vowed to do everything to assist the host city, guide it, and to transfer all the knowledge from past editions.