The ninth Asian Winter Games, scheduled to take place in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, from February 7 to 14, 2025, will see the highest participation in the Games’ history as a total of 34 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have registered, according to the organizers.

Among the participating teams, China, Japan, and South Korea will compete in all sports. The most popular events include Alpine skiing for which 25 NOCs registered, followed by short track speed skating and figure skating, participated in by 21 teams. Eighteen NOCs have registered for cross-country skiing and 16 for snowboarding.

Approved by the Olympic Council of Asia, the upcoming Games will feature six sports, 11 disciplines, and a total of 64 events. Notably, mixed doubles curling, ski mountaineering, and synchronized aerials of freestyle skiing will make their debut at the Asian Winter Games.

Bai Zhiguo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian Winter Games Organizing Committee and Director of the Harbin Sports Bureau, stated that the competition venues will take place in Harbin and Yabuli Town, which is about 193 kilometers from Harbin. Harbin will host the ice sports events and Yabuli will host the snow sports events at the Yabuli Ski Resort.

Currently, all competition venues are undergoing upgrades in cooling, dehumidification, lighting, heating, networking, and functional facilities. The renovation work is nearing completion, with the Harbin Ice Hockey Arena and the ski mountaineering facilities at Yabuli already completed. Other venues are scheduled to be fully completed by the end of September.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *