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Skating rinks and ski facilities are booming as Winter Olympics bid and new school curricula fuel interest, Sun Xiaochen reports.
Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics has driven public enthusiasm for winter sports to new heights, boosting business at commercial rinks in the Chinese capital.
The aim of the joint bid by Beijing and Zhangjiakou is to encourage more participation in winter sports across China, the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee said.
"By bidding for the Winter Olympics we can promote winter sports, with more accessible skating and skiing facilities already in place or being built in the process. Wider participation in outdoor winter sports will help improve peoples' fitness," said Wang Anshun, president of the Beijing 2022 bid committee and mayor of Beijing.
Beijing's bid plans to involve over 300 million residents, mostly schoolchildren, across North China in winter sports exercise and recreation. The IOC evaluation commission, which conducted a five-day venue inspection in Beijing in March, was positive about Beijing's ambitious plan of boosting winter sports among the public.
"The great passion that exists here for the Olympic Games has been inspiring," Alexander Zhukov, chairman of the evaluation commission, said in his concluding remarks about the visit.
The commission will publish its candidate city assessment report and distribute it to all IOC members prior to the host city election in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31.
Creating opportunities
Skating on frozen ponds for fun has long been a tradition for people in North China, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
However, modern winter sports such as figure skating and ice hockey have only recently emerged as fashionable forms of recreation that appeal to urban youth.
The development of winter sports facilities driven by Beijing's 2022 bid has fueled the trend.
According to the State Administrative Center of Winter Sports, there are 10 ski resorts and 15 rinks operated by private investors and governments in Beijing which meet the standard needed to host public events. Many have been selected as winter sports training bases for students.
Qiaobo Ice and Snow World hosted the inaugural Beijing Student Skiing Festival at its indoor facility in December in partnership with the Sports Association of Beijing Primary and Secondary Schools.
The facility is named after the 1992 Winter Olympic 500m and 1,000m speed skating silver medalist, Ye Qiaobo.
More than 400 students participated in the 2014 event and more are expected to join in at this year's event in December, according to Zhao Ying, vice-chairman of the association.
"With winter sports educators planning to involve more students on campus, we will organize more skiing and skating activities this year, and reach out to more rinks and resorts for cooperation to cater to the growing demand," said Zhao.
Since last November, more than 10 winter sports carnivals and international competitions, including the Beijing leg of the Freestyle Ski Aerial World Cup and 14th China Chongli Skiing Festival, have been held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou’s Chongli county in Hebei province, where the majority of the snow events will be held if the 2022 bid succeeds.
"These events will further boost the public's passion for winter sports while promoting knowledge and skills. This is crucial for us to win the bid for the 2022 Olympics," said Zhao Yinggang, deputy secretary general of the Beijing 2022 bid committee.
New school subject
To meet the growing demand for winter sports, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education introduced skating and skiing lessons into the physical education curricula at primary and secondary schools this year.
Wang Zihan, 15, a student from Shijingshan Affiliated School of Beijing Institute of Education, who has just learned to ski in January, said this is good news.
"I'm sure a lot of my schoolmates will be more interested in taking outdoor PE classes in winter than they used to be," she said.
The Beijing education commission has been working with a group of experts to compile textbooks on winter sports and the history of the Winter Olympics. The commission has also bought services and training sessions for students at commercial rinks and ski resorts, according to Huang Kan, a senior member of the commission.
"Students will take theory lessons given by college lecturers, coaches and retired athletes before going to selected rinks and resorts to practice as an extension of their extracurricular activities," Huang said.
Beijing's northwestern mountainous Yanqing county, where the alpine skiing events of 2022 are proposed to be held, has stepped forward by offering skiing courses at two major resorts on a regular basis for students at seven schools.
"As one of the venues in Beijing's bid plan, Yanqing has the advantages of natural terrain and accessible facilities, so we are planning to have at least 10,000 students master skiing skills by 2022," said Zheng Shiyong, deputy director of the county education commission.
With more facilities planned, Zheng expects that students could enjoy winter sports at more affordable and accessible venues in the near future.
Six new venues, including an indoor speed skating rink in Beijing downtown, an alpine skiing resort in Yanqing and a cross-country skiing center in Chongli will be built, according to the Beijing 2022 bid committee.
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| An indoor winter venue in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily] |
