Kuwait City, Kuwait, May 12, 2025: The Olympic Council of Asia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Municipal Government of Harbin, China to create a top-class training centre for winter sports in Asia in the host city of the 9th Asian Winter Games.
The MoU was signed on the second day of the 45th OCA General Assembly in Kuwait on Monday, May 12.
A high-level Chinese delegation from the Harbin Asian Winter Games Organising Committee led by Zhang Haihua, Vice Mayor of Harbin City, met OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam, OCA Vice President Dr. Thani Abdulrahman Al-Kuwari, and OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari had visited the OCA Headquarters on Friday, May 9, to hammer out the details.
Among the main topics of discussion was the construction of high-level training centres for winter sports in Asia in Harbin and Yabuli – the cities where the ice and snow events, respectively, were held during the 9thAsian Winter Games in February, 2025.
“The success of the Asian Winter Games has greatly stimulated the entrepreneurial enthusiasm of the people of Harbin. At present, our city is planning the high-quality development of a winter sports training centre for athletes from all over Asia, in joint collaboration with the Olympic Council of Asia,” said Deputy Mayor of Harbin City Zhang Haihua.
Deputy Mayor Zhang Haihua received an OCA Asian Order of Merit Award given to the Harbin Asian Winter Games Organising Committee at the General Assembly on Monday.
The MoU was welcomed by OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam who said: “This is an important step for the development of Athletes in Asia in winter sports. We must ensure that this agreement is implemented and that the welfare of the athletes is ensured.”
It was decided that the Harbin Municipal Government will mobilise relevant departments to work closely with the OCA in setting up this training centre in winter sports.
One of the first projects to be held in Harbin that will benefit all Asian NOCs is the OCA-ISU Figure Skating Youth Training Camp in August, 2025.
OCA Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari has already sent a letter to Harbin authorities proposing to hold a figure skating youth training camp as the first project of the Asian Winter Sports Training Centre. The Harbin Municipal Government will provide the facilities – an indoor ice rink – to be used in the training camp.
Vice Mayor Zhang also requested assistance from the OCA to build a winter sports museum in Harbin and has invited Captain Husain Al Musallam to serve as the honorary curator.
The Harbin officials have also suggested that their expertise in the design of ice and snow projects – an example being the world-famous Harbin Ice and Snow World City – would be made available for other Asian countries including building “ice and snow complexes” in countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Vice Mayor Zhang called on the OCA for help to make Harbin into a global winter sports and ice and snow tourism centre. “We are making every effort to develop the ice and snow economy of Harbin. In this process, we hope to get the support of the Olympic Council of Asia and achieve mutual benefit through project cooperation," she said.
