National winter sports competitions bring new opportunities to western China

The 2022-2023 National Biathlon Championships will be held at the Gansu Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base in February. The many national snow sports competitions held in northwest China in recent years have brought new opportunities to the development of ice and snow sports industry in the region, according to industry insiders.

Chinese cross-country skier Qiu Mingyang trains ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at the Gansu Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base in Baiyin city, northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu)

The national training base was built in 2019, covering an area of more than 1,000 mu (about 66.67 hectares) and contains a ski resort, a biathlon field and a ski service center. It was the venue for the 2020-2021 season of the National Biathlon Championships held at the beginning of 2021 and served as the training base for the Chinese paralympic cross-country skiing and biathlon teams participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games.

According to Wang Hongwei, head of the Gansu Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base, in recent years, a public ski resort in the training base has received 270,000 tourists. "Thanks to the hosting of snow and ice sports competitions and the development of snow and ice tourism, an increasing number of people have been involved in snow and ice sports," Wang said.

Baiyin was put on the list of cities to carry out a pilot project aiming at boosting consumption through sports unveiled by the General Administration of Sports in 2020. In recent two years, the city, as well as districts and counties under its jurisdiction, have established associations of snow sports and roller skating and seen snow and ice sports gain popularity among local citizens.

"Baiyin will actively host more snow and ice sports competitions, go all out to support training for athletes and give better play to its role as an important place for the westward promotion of snow and ice sports in China," said Zhang Yanbao, mayor of Baiyin.

"The effective utilization of snow and ice resources in western China through the hosting of various winter sports competitions will continuously promote the integrated development of winter sports and the tourism industry," said Li Qiang, head of the scientific research management department with the China Tourism Academy.

Chinese skiers train ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at the Gansu Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base in Baiyin city, northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)