CCTV News:2023— The competition of Chongli Station of the 2024 International Snow Federation freestyle skiing and snowboarding U-track World Cup kicked off yesterday (December 6) in Genting Ski Park, Chongli District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, which is also one of the highest-level ice and snow events held in China after the Beijing Winter Olympics.
After the Beijing Winter Olympics, this Winter Olympics Road has once again taken on a new look. Competition organization, event guarantee, etc. followed the Zhangjiakou operation team during the Beijing Winter Olympics, and more than 100 top skiers from all over the world, including three Winter Olympics champions, gathered together. All the players and officials are very excited to be able to hold this high-level competition in a brand-new venue.
According to the competition plan, the qualifying competition will be held from 6th to 7th, and the final competition will be held from 8th to 9th. China freestyle skiing and snowboarding national training team sent 25 players to participate in this home game, including Winter Olympics champion Gu Ailing, four-time Winter Olympics veterans Liu Jiayu and Cai Xuetong. While striving for good results, we should temper the team’s skills and competitive strength with the goal of Milan Winter Olympics.
Large-scale events continue to drain ice and snow, and the heat of sports continues to rise.
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, freestyle skiing and snowboarding won three heavy gold medals for the China team. However, with the related events gradually entering the public’s field of vision, people’s enthusiasm for participating in ice and snow sports has been continuously pushed up. The freestyle skiing and snowboarding U-track World Cup attracted skiers from all over the country to watch the competition.
In the Genting Ski Park in Zhangjiakou, the U-shaped venue for the World Cup is adjacent to the Volkswagen Snow Road. Even the people who didn’t buy tickets to watch the race can stop on the snowy road to watch the wonderful performances of the athletes, many of whom came from other places to watch the race.
According to Genting Ski Park, the organizer of the event, the booking volume of the ski resort increased by nearly 200% this weekend, and most of the tickets and hotel rooms have been sold out. At the same time, superimposed with cultural and recreational activities such as electronic syllables of snow-capped mountains held on weekends, it is expected that the passenger flow will rise sharply this weekend.
In December, Beijing and Zhangjiakou held many international high-level events with the help of the Winter Olympics venues. This weekend, in addition to Genting World Cup, Shougang Short Track Speed Skating World Cup and National Gymnasium Figure Skating Grand Prix Finals will be staged at the same time. Driven by the top ice and snow events, Beijing’s winter Olympic legacy and extensive ice and snow sports are constantly giving new vitality.
Revitalize the winter Olympic heritage and promote the in-depth development of ice and snow sports
The Beijing Winter Olympics ignited everyone’s enthusiasm for participating in ice and snow sports, and also left a rich Olympic legacy. After the Beijing Winter Olympics, Beijing and Zhangjiakou vigorously promoted the spirit of Beijing Winter Olympics, made good use of Beijing Winter Olympics heritage, and promoted the in-depth development of ice and snow sports.
During Genting World Cup, the "One Card Sliding" of Zhangjiakou Ski Resort in Beijing was officially unveiled. For the first time, the "Beijing-Zhangtong Skating Card" has realized cross-regional skiing in China. With a snow ticket, skiers can skate in 11 large ski resorts in Beijing and Zhangping, such as Wanlong, Genting, Taiwu, Huaibei and National Alpine Ski Center.
Winter Olympic venues and facilities are high-quality resources for the post-Olympic economy. Taking the Winter Olympics as an opportunity to achieve high-quality development, it is necessary to make the Winter Olympic venues and facilities "busy". In Beijing, the National Speed Skating Pavilion "Ice Ribbon" has received more than 500,000 visitors since it was officially opened to the public in July 2022, realizing a seamless switch from "the fastest ice" to "the public’s ice".
In Zhangjiakou, the just-concluded "National Youth Four Seasons Ski Challenge" attracted nearly 300 young athletes from all over the country. It is worth mentioning that this event, sponsored by Beijing Ski Association, has been carried out by using Zhangjiakou’s rich ice and snow resources all the year round, and has become a new model of complementary resource advantages and coordinated regional development between Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
It is understood that nearly 20 international events were held this year with the help of Beijing Winter Olympics venues or facilities. At the same time, in late December this year, the State Sports General Administration will also launch the 10th National Popular Ice and Snow Season. This year’s national mass ice and snow season will make good use of the Beijing Winter Olympics heritage, implement the "Ice and Snow Benefiting the People Plan" and the "Ice and Snow Plus" strategy, build an ice and snow economic system, promote the transformation of the ice and snow sports industry, and effectively promote the "event economy" and the high-quality development of the ice and snow sports industry.