Harbin, China, November 5, 2024: Organisers of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China next February are ready to welcome a record number of athletes for the ice and snow sports extravaganza.
HAWGOC announced recently that more than 1,500 athletes from a record 34 National Olympic Committees have registered to take part in the 9th AWG, which will run from February 7-14, 2025.
The previous record was 1,147 athletes who competed in the 8th AWG in Sapporo and Obihiro, Japan in 2017. Those athletes came from 32 NOCs, comprised of 30 from Asia plus two guest NOCs from Oceania - Australia and New Zealand.
The 100-day countdown to the 9th AWG was held on October 30, when the torch and medal design and official music video “Snow in Harbin” were released.
Zhang Haihua, HAWGOC Deputy Secretary-General, said 31 per cent of the 64 events would make their Asian Winter Games debut in Harbin. Among them, three ski mountaineering events have been confirmed as new additions for the 2026 Winter Olympics, making the Harbin Games an important test for athletes preparing for the Olympics.
Alpine skiing is the most popular discipline, featuring participants from 25 NOCs, including tropical countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia as well as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. This reflects the rapid development of ice and snow sports in Asia in recent years, especially following the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Zhou Jinqiang, Vice President of both HAWGOC and the Chinese Olympic Committee, stated that China would send more than 170 athletes to compete in all 64 events, striving for both athletic achievements and sportsmanship.
Organizers also revealed the layout of the venues, with five for ice sports in Harbin and eight for snow sports in Yabuli. A total of 14 test events are scheduled from September to January next year.
All 13 competition venues will utilize energy-saving and environmentally friendly materials and low-carbon technologies, relying on existing facilities for maintenance and renovation without large-scale demolition and construction.
During the Games, a series of activities will be held in the Athletes' Village and the Ice and Snow World, including Heilongjiang's intangible cultural heritage experiences, ice acrobatics performances and an opera art parade.
There will be six sports, 11 disciplines and 64 events, with 32 ice events in Harbin and 32 snow events in Yabuli, 190km from Harbin.