The 9th Asian Winter Games, scheduled to take place in northeast China's Harbin City from February 7 to 14, have all competition venues fully equipped and prepared to host the event.
With the theme "Dream of Winter, Love among Asians", the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games mark the most recent major international winter sports competition to be hosted in China, following the successful Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
All 13 competition venues of this Games have been renovated using existing facilities. While ensuring high-quality competitions, the event adheres to the principles of being green, economical, and easily re-purposed for post-event use.
Over 1,270 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia will participate, making this edition the largest in terms of participating delegations and athletes.
"This is my first time in China. I've been to lots of places in the world, pretty much everywhere, but I was never in China before. For a long time I wanted to visit China, so finally I'm here. The whole team we are here," said Tamirlan Gaitamirov, a member of Kazakhstan men's national ice hockey team.
Yabuli Ski Resort is now fully prepared to host events, with all eight snow tracks, encompassing alpine and biathlon courses, having been meticulously readied for competition.
Meanwhile, the Athletes' Village, the Mountain Media Center and other venues and facilities for snow events began to operate officially.
With less than a week out from the official opening of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, the torch relay of the games officially commenced in the "Ice City" on Monday.
Vinod Kumar Tiwari, deputy director general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), participated in the torch relay of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin on Monday and praised China's preparation efforts ahead of the event.
"We have been surprised and very, very happy because they only had a year to prepare for the Games and they have done a marvelous job. It's a miracle that we have seen such beautiful infrastructure. The torch relay itself, and the enthusiasm of the citizens of Harbin has been really exemplary. So, we are really happy and very proud also that in one year's time we have been managed to bring this Games to such a successful level," said Tiwari.
Nestled in the northeastern part of China, Heilongjiang Province is renowned for its abundant ice and snow resources. The region has a deep-rooted tradition in winter sports and continues to make a significant impact on the global stage.
Harbin's venues fully equipped to host 9th Asian Winter Games
