Harbin, China, December 23, 2024: The 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China next February will be the biggest in the history of the event dating back to 1986, organisers confirmed on Monday, December 23.
With the final deadline having passed in the three-stage sports entry process for Asia’s National Olympic Committees, organisers revealed that a record number of NOCs and athletes would be competing in the 9th AWG.
There will be 33 NOCs – one more than took part in the 8th AWG in Sapporo, Japan in 2017, although the entry of 32 included two guest NOCs from the Oceania Confederation: Australia and New Zealand.
The 33 NOCs have submitted the names of 1,256 athletes – 746 male and 510 female. The previous highest was 1,147 at Sapporo in 2017, 109 fewer than Harbin 2025.
These figures reflect the commitment of the Olympic Council of Asia to develop winter sports throughout the continent, with entries coming from desert countries in West Asia as well as tropical countries in Southeast Asia.
Harbin celebrated the 50-day countdown to the 9th AWG on December 19, with the Games running from February 7-14, 2025 with six sports, 11 disciplines and 64 events – 32 ice events in Harbin and 32 snow sports events in Yabuli.
