Skiers raise the national flag at the opening ceremony for the 2020-2021 Jilin International Alpine/Snowboarding Challenge on Dec 19. [Photo/cnjiwang.com]

The first round of the 2020-2021 Jilin International Alpine/Snowboarding Challenge kicked off at the Changbai Mountain Wanda White Mountain Resort in Baishan city, in Northeast China's Jilin province, on Dec 19.

It attracted the participation of over 300 contestants from all over the country and international contestants who applied through online registration.

There are four rounds of races being conducted during the challenge, which started on Dec 19 and run through to Jan 17.

Jilin aims to develop the challenge as the province's premier winter sports competition, an ice and snow industry demonstration project and an ice and snow culture promotions project.

The challenge has been organized according to the rules of the International Ski Federation and the operational standards of international-level events.

Because of this, the event has attracted the attention of many people in the industry and the active participation of skiing enthusiasts.

To bring the international ice and snow sports event to eager winter sports fans, Jilin is not only aiming to provide a warm-up for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games but also popularizing winter events.

In the wider context, it also aims to promote the development of the winter sports industry.