CGTN
Unparalleled enthusiasm ignited by the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics has triggered the rapid development of China’s ice-snow industry and a complete industrial chain is coming into being following strong demand for winter sports. Over 346 million Chinese people have participated in winter sports activities since Beijing’s successful bid in 2015, with a participation rate of 24.56 percent, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows. The figure indicates that the country has already reached its goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports.
Explosive growth of
winter sports infrastructure
Explosive winter sports infrastructure development has been seen in China in recent years. The country now has 654 standard ice rinks, a surge of 317 percent from 2015, and the number of ski resorts has risen to 803 from 568 in 2015. With indoor ice-snow venues springing up, ice sports are no longer reserved for those living in the northern snowy regions, which used to be China’s major winter sports destinations. Among the 10 cities in which off-season skiing was most popular last summer, nine are in southern China, according to a report from online travel service provider Fliggy.
“The emergence of indoor venues throughout the country, especially in the south, has facilitated people’s participation in ice-snow sports, and made it possible for them to enjoy ice and snow in each season,” said Feng Xianqiao, secretary-general of a district ski association in southwest China’s Chongqing. China is narrowing the gap between China and countries in Europe and North America where winter sports have a long history, said Wang Bing, head of a Beijing-based research institute for sports development.
10-year golden period predicted
China’s winter economy anticipates a 10-year golden period starting in 2022, driven by economic development, consumption upgrades and the dividends of the Winter Olympics, said Ding Changfeng, a senior executive at Chinese property developer Vanke. Ding considers skiing to be “one of the most popular new sports” amid the “rapid growth of China’s sports consumption,” and expects the country’s ski trips to rank first in number in Asia this year and become first globally by 2032, reaching 60 million.
