Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

TheMK sports 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship Division I, Group A tournament will kick off in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, from April 13 to 19, marking the latest effort by China to promote winter sports in one of its subtropical cities. 

China will take on Slovakia, Austria, the Netherlands, France and Denmark in a round-robin format at the Shenzhen Universiade Centre Gymnasium with the top two teams in the group promoted to the top division of the world championship in 2026. It will be the second time Shenzhen has hosted a world-class ice hockey tournament since 2023.

All participating teams have arrived in Shenzhen to begin their pre-game training, the local organizers told the Global Times. 

This is one of China's key efforts to further amplify its initiative of engaging 300 million people in winter sports after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Luo Le, a sports scholar at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

High-level competitions are, in essence, a form of sports performance. Athletes are like performers; through their exceptional skills, they showcase the beauty of the sport to the public, Luo noted. 

Spurred by the momentum of the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games, winter sports have begun to flourish in Shenzhen in recent years. The Shenzhen government has implemented the strategy of "expanding winter sports to areas outside of the northeastern provinces," supporting the hosting of high-level competitions and promoting the integration of winter sports with culture and tourism, according to a press release from the organizers. 

By leveraging world-class competition, the city aims to inspire a broader interests in winter sports among residents of Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area, as well as international visitors, said the press release.

As more and more people, especially young people, fall in love with winter sports through such international events, winter sports will truly become popular. In that case, the investments southern cities have made in ice and snow events and facilities will realize their true value, Luo said. 

Shenzhen is also building its own snow world, which will feature the world's largest indoor ski resort. It is expected to begin trial operations in the fourth quarter of 2025, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. 

The growing presence of indoor ice and snow facilities have helped cultivate a larger winter sports talent pool for Shenzhen. According to statistics, in 2024, more than 500,000 people in Shenzhen participated in winter sports, with the number of ice hockey and ­figure skating clubs ranking first in South China.

In 2023, China won the championship in Shenzhen with a perfect record of five wins, earning promotion to the top division. However, it was relegated to the lower division in 2024. This time, the Chinese women's hockey team, primarily made up of players from the Shenzhen Kunlun Red Star Ice Hockey Club, seeks to return to the top division.

After the Harbin Asian Winter Games, the Chinese women's hockey team, having missed out on the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, brought in some young players and this tournament serves as a valuable opportunity for these young players to accumulate experience in intense competitions against European powerhouses. 

Thanks to the legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics and the national strategy, winter sports have reached a broader audience beyond the traditional ice and snow cities in Northeast China, with more diverse events, easier access, and greater public engagement. 

During the 2013-14 ski season, China had only five indoor ski resorts. By the 2023-24 season, that number had risen to 59, with most located in southern cities. Among the world's top 10 largest indoor ski resorts, six are in China - including those in southern cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, according to the Xinhua News Agency.  

With the increasing number of international events and growing public participation across China, the boom in winter sports is poised to continue. This will further promote the balanced development of winter sports nationwide, expanding the talent pool and amplifying the initiative of "engaging 300 million people in winter sports."

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn