Legacies of Winter Olympics drive sports boom (2)

Residents take to the ice in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. DING GENHOU/FOR CHINA DAILY

Wang said, "In this way, ordinary skiers and snowboarders can enjoy the Olympic experience in a fun and safe way. The Games venues should be for everyone."

Winter sports enthusiasts in China have also turned frozen ponds, ice and snow carnivals, and mountain resorts nationwide into popular tourism spots.

These participants have been inspired by the host delegation's victorious campaign at Beijing 2022, where Team China bagged a record haul of 15 medals, including an unprecedented nine golds.

Ski resorts at Changbai Mountain, Jilin province, are witnessing one of their hottest business seasons in the coldest period of the year, with large numbers of skiers and snowboarders gathering on the courses, at cable lift stations and in resort hotel lobbies.

Wang Hongli, operations manager at a resort in Fusong county, Baishan, Jilin, said, "Even though we have not fully recovered yet from the impact of the pandemic, we are still receiving at least 3,000 skiers a day, which is quite impressive, and the numbers will continue to rise."

Han Xue, a staff member overseeing ski rental services at the resort, said the winter sports boom has increased demand for more advanced, higher-end and diverse equipment.

"Eight years ago, we had 2,800 snowboards in stock, too many at a time when people were all starting out by skiing. Now, we have 4,000 snowboards for rent each day, but this is not enough."

Citing Beijing 2022's legacy in promoting winter sports in the world's most populous nation, the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, and major international governing bodies for winter sports have said the Games will go down in history for permanently changing the landscape of ice and snow sports.

According to a report by the General Administration of Sport of China, more than 346 million Chinese took part in winter sports and related activities at least once before the Games began, opening a huge untapped market.

IOC President Thomas Bach said in a video address at the opening of China's ninth annual public ice and snow festival last month, "China wrote a new chapter in Olympic history by hosting the truly exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022."

The Games opened a new era for winter sports globally, driven by the enthusiasm of more than 300 million Chinese people who are now engaged in snow and ice sports, Bach added.

Kim Jae-youl, president of the International Skating Union, or ISU, citing skating's popularity in China, and the nation's prowess in the sport at Beijing 2022, said he expects China to play a more prominent role in promoting ice sports at grassroots and elite levels.

In a congratulatory message to the festival, Kim, who was elected ISU head in June, said, "The growth of the national public ice and snow festival in the past eight years reflects the growing interest in winter sports in China, and the investment involved.