Ice and snow opportunity dividends to tap

Experience shows that over the one to two years after a Winter Olympics Games is held, the host country usually sees fast development of winter sports and related industries. Given the wide attention the ongoing Games in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, are receiving throughout the nation, and the huge untapped potential of the country in these sectors, China has every reason to expect a boom in the relevant industries.

The 400-million-people middle-income group in the country offers huge potential for a boom in winter sports.

The performance of the world's top athletes in the Games can spark people's interest in winter sports, and attract more young people to participate. That in turn means the development of the winter sports training business, with the support of the government, also looks set to enter the fast lane in the years to come.

As will the winter sports competition and performance industries, which will provide the young people more platforms to enjoy the sports and showcase their skills, therefore forming a sustainable virtuous circle that involves investment, market entities and young participants.

About 350 million people have taken part in winter sports over the past seven years in China. That has attracted world-class winter sports equipment manufacturers from Europe to localize their production in China, and also spurred Chinese manufacturers to upgrade their technology, marketing and services.

Since international traveling remains difficult given the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic ski resorts will become the main destinations for skiers and snowboarders. That will boost economic growth and create jobs for the places where these ski resorts are located, most of which are in Northeast China and Northwest China where the economy lacks drivers.

The sports on the ice and related industries are more about education, training and competition performances, while the snow sports and related industries are more about tourism, leisure and education training.

It is to be hoped the northeastern Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, cradles of China's winter sports athletes and the main rust-belt region in the country, can take advantage of the opportunities the Games create and their unique natural advantages as ideal sites for winter sports to accelerate the development of their winter sports and related industries, so that they can cultivate new drivers for sustainable development.