Harbin, China, August 11, 2025: Julian Yee, representative of the International Skating Union, is hopeful that the 2025 Asian Figure Skating Youth Camp in Harbin will be the first step in a permanent development strategy for the sport in the continent.
The inaugural collaboration between the OCA, ISU and CAIC (Children of Asia International Committee), was hailed as a model for future progress by Yee, who is also the head instructor at the nine-day training camp.
“This collaboration between the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Skating Union is a great step in the right direction, and I’m hopeful and confident that there will be more development programmes like this,” said Malaysian Yee on Monday, August 11.
Yee has been at the forefront of a handful of instructors from the ISU who are showing the way forward for 47 young athletes – 19 boys and 28 girls – as well as 25 coaches from 20 Asian countries and regions.
Into its second day, the diverse camp has smoothly settled into a routine. Morning sessions begin with a warm-up and stretches, followed by a two-hour skills session on the ice. The children and coaches are split into two groups thanks to the Harbin Ice Hockey Arena having two Olympic-size rinks.
After a midday break for lunch, the participants are back on the ice for another couple of hours, before a brief analysis of the day’s outcome is done. Towards the latter part of the programme, the OCA will also hold anti-doping, safeguarding and prevention of competition manipulation classes run by experts.
“This is a well-organised programme and hats off to the OCA and CAIC for their support. We have had development programmes in figure skating in Asia before, but never to this level and standards,” Yee said.
Yee, 28, represented Malaysia at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in Men’s Freestyle Singles. Soon after, he left for Vancouver, Canada where he acquired his ISU coaching badges turning him into a full-fledged international figure skating coach.
“I’m back in Malaysia and I carry out development projects for the ISU. But like I said, this camp is one of the best I’ve been to. It’s only nine days, but the aim will be to impart as much knowledge as we can to the coaches so as to give them the tools to help them spread the word.
“As for the athletes, we hope they will learn and be inspired. But the main thing is for the children to build friendships and stay connected with fellow figure-skaters in Asia. Hopefully this will be the first of many such developmental camps in the sport,” Yee added.
