Harbin, China, July 23, 2026: The first OCA-ISU Asian Short Track Speed Skating Youth Camp holds special significance for the sport, according to coach Zhang Jing.
The camp has attracted 35 athletes and 12 coaches from 14 National Olympic Committees and is being held in the winter sports hotbed of Harbin – host city of the Asian Winter Games in 1996 and 2025.
“This Asian Youth Training Camp is co-hosted by the OCA and the International Skating Union and it carries extraordinary significance,” Zhang said.
“Its core value is to enable countries and regions across Asia to take part in international short track speed skating competitions as soon as possible, and to gain a clearer picture of the current competitive landscape and scale of the sport.
“By sharing advanced techniques and training methodologies, it will help these teams develop faster, improve more rapidly and compete in international short track speed skating events at an earlier stage.”
Asia is a global power in Olympic short track speed skating and Zhang says this camp will give the young athletes a thorough grounding in the basic techniques from which to build their own career.
Speaking about the core teaching philosophy of this camp, Zhang added: “The core teaching philosophy of this training camp is to help these entry-level athletes gain a deeper understanding of short track speed skating in terms of technique, physical fitness and training methods and approaches.
“It is also particularly valuable for the coaches participating in the programme. We deliver in-depth teaching covering both the capabilities required of top-tier short track speed skaters and the core abilities that foundation-level athletes should master.”
Zhang said that the young athletes have benefited because the coaching team has focused on the basics of the sport, giving them a solid platform on which to progress.
“We start with the most basic technical requirements. First, we help them build mental and psychological awareness of the basic demands and difficulty of each technical movement.
“We then require them to execute the most fundamental technical movements with high quality and solid foundations, so they can meet the basic standards of short track speed skating.
“Under this framework, we first ensure both coaches and athletes can follow the logic behind the training. Then we build their confidence and strengthen their self-belief, letting them trust that they can properly perform these technical movements and complete the technical drills.”
The camp opened on July 20 and will run until July 26.
