Indonesian figure skaters expressed their excitement about competing in the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games -- an event typically dominated by countries with strong winter sports traditions -- while also praising the beauty of the host city, Harbin.
Running from February 7 to14 in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the 9th Asian Winter Games has brought together 1,275 competitors from 34 countries and regions, making it the largest edition of the Games in terms of overall participation.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Indonesian figure skaters Dwiki Eka Ramadhan and Kelly Elizabeth Supangat described the competition as a breakthrough moment for their country's emerging winter sports scene.
"For us, (competing) in the ice dance discipline is like the first time. And actually, in Indonesia, it's the first time we have ice dancing. For us, it’s really a breakthrough. Basically, growing the sport in our country is the most important (thing), especially winter sports, because we come from a tropical country," said Ramadhan.
Supangat highlighted the growing interest in Indonesia’s winter sports scene, noting the surprise many people expressed upon learning that the country has a figure skating team. She emphasized the team's broader goal of expanding participation in winter sports and inspiring more Indonesians to take up disciplines like snowboarding and skiing.
"I know a lot of people on social media have been reposting about our figure skating team, and a lot of comments were like, 'Oh, we didn't know that Indonesia has winter sports,’ and we have a winter sports team in like three disciplines. So our goal is to try to have more people participate in winter sports. And maybe have some people participate in snowboarding and skiing, just because we started this, being ones of the first few people in Indonesia going for winter sports like (at an event like the) Asian Winter Games," she said.
The athletes shared their admiration for Harbin, praising its stunning architecture and vibrant attractions, and highlighted their experience visiting the famous Snow and Ice World, where they got a glimpse of the local tourism scene.
"It is so beautiful. The architecture is really nice. It’s very classic [with] high-rise buildings, and we went to the Snow and Ice World, so we had a little glimpse of the touristy things we are [able] to do here. And it's so fun, and it's so beautiful" said Supangat.
Indonesian figure skaters thrilled to compete at Asian Winter Games
World Energy Council Secretary General Angela Wilkinson has called for greater cooperation, as geopolitical tensions add uncertainty to the market, and praised China's efforts in prompting global energy resilience.
Speaking to China Global Television Network, she said she thinks although the current situation feels very acute, it is not as severe as it would have been maybe 20 years ago in terms of energy, because energy supply is becoming more diversified.
She emphasized that China's cooperation with other countries has helped strengthen energy security and overall sustainability.
"We've always talked about for 20 years the need to balance security, affordability and sustainability, The triangle or what we call the trilemma, right? And what we know now is that those trade-offs are real and they're getting sharper and they're shifting. So when we've come through two decades where people have really wanted to frame energy policy in terms of climate. And the need for clean and green power. But now we're talking about the need to have rebalancing world energy leadership, so China's cooperation with many other countries changes how those countries can balance security, affordability and sustainability," she said.
Wilkinson highlighted China's efforts to diversify its energy imports and build a new power system at remarkable speed and scale. She said China is not only managing its own system security but also considering how it can contribute to global stability.
"China has diversified the imports that it's make. It's built a new power system at speed and scale. And I think China manages the whole system security and it's looking at how does it contribute to the security of the world so that it can continue to grow and flourish. You can't grow and flourish in a world of war," she said.
Wilkinson used a vivid analogy to explain whether the current crisis would accelerate the transition to renewables or reinforce reliance on coal.
"New power systems and the existing energy system is the mosquito and the elephant. The current capacity of renewables is like the mosquito. The existing system is like the elephant, but the mosquito relies on the elephant for its blood. And it's going to for a long time. These are codependent systems. As the new power systems scale across the world, then we will see naturally a fall off or a shift in supplies," she said.
Wilkinson also expressed her concern over humanity.
She said that as an entire species, people have forgotten just how dependent they are on energy. And it is not just about technology or money or an industry or a commodity, but actually the modern foundation of all societies.
World Energy Council chief highlights China’s role in global energy resilience
