After an eager wait of four years, the highly-anticipated 14th National Winter Games of China is set to be the first significant national winter sports event since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Slated to grace the sports calendar in February 2024, the grand event will unfurl its majestic wings in the city of Hulunbuir, in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
In the build-up to the main event, spectators will have the privilege of enjoying an ice hockey game, serving as a teaser to the exhilarating experiences to come. This prelude match is scheduled for the upcoming Thursday, heightening the palpable anticipation for the main Games.
The sports events are set to take place in an imposing plaza, marked by stark, white roofs emblematic of the Mongolian yurt characteristic of the autonomous region. The venue is set to house the gala’s ice hockey and curling hall, in addition to two other venues earmarked for speed skating and short track speed skating. All these sports facilities will be hosted within the city’s prestigious Inner Mongolia Ice Sports Training Center.
Although the 14th National Winter Games was initially slated for 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated its postponement. This unforeseen delay, however, presented an opportunity for the organizers to reimagine and revamp the event, making it more updated and smarter, as Ta Na, the lead of the ice hockey hall’s preparation team.
Key updates include the replacement of the original tempered glass panel wall surrounding the rink with a more practical acrylic board material. This new material can be promptly replaced within 5 minutes if damaged during a game, ensuring minimal interruption. Additional enhancements such as scoring and video recording playback systems, and an uninterruptible power supply, have also been installed following feedback from test games.
The event is not just about the present, but also about laying the groundwork for the future. The venue, which has already hosted several games since it started operations in 2019, will serve as a youth ice and snow sports training base post-Games, as part of a sustainability project, according to Kuang Zhuo, director of the Hulunbuir Sports Bureau.
Li Yongzhi, deputy director of the Office of the People’s Government of Hulunbuir City, revealed that plans for maintenance and renovation of the sports training center, as well as activities like the opening ceremony and torch relays, have been formulated and are awaiting approval.
The aim is to present an excellent, yet simple Winter Games that can capture public attention. A team of 241 volunteers, including students like Yuheng from Hulunbuir University, are already hard at work, preparing promotional materials and creating buzz among young people about the Games.
The 14th National Winter Games of China, a labor of love and commitment over a decade for the city of Hulunbuir, promises to be an event to remember, unfolding from February 17 to 27, 2024.
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