Mascots of the 2025 Asian Winter Games Photo: VCG

Themk snow sports competition zone in Yabuli, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, which is an important venue of the 9th Asian Winter Games, will have 32 gold medals up for grabs. With just over a month remaining before the opening of the event on February 7, 2025, the construction work has been largely completed, said the Harbin Municipal People's Government on Tuesday.

"National team athletes for winter sports are preparing for the Asian Winter Games and other winter competitions," Xing Shuo, a deputy director of the Winter Sports Center at the General Administration of Sport of China, told the Global Times. "The snow sports events have entered the Olympic qualification period, and athletes are laying the foundation for the Milan Winter Olympics."

Now, athletes are advancing their preparations according to plans, identifying shortcomings, summarizing experiences, and adjusting their form to ensure excellent results in the upcoming competitions, Xing noted.

Director of the Harbin Sports Bureau Bai Zhiguo said on Monday that all venues and renovated reception hotels have completed their final inspections. The main construction of the east second runway at Harbin Airport has also been finished and is expected to be put into use on January 24, 2025.

Zhao Jing, a professor and expert in winter sports from Tianjin University of Sport, told the Global Times that the Asian Winter Games is not just a sports platform; it is a typical example of how events can be used to drive the ­development of the winter sports industry. "By bidding for large-scale winter sports exchange activities, we can attract more enthusiasts to focus on winter sports, which will promote interaction and cooperation between domestic and international communities," Zhao said.

The 9th Asian Winter Games consists of six major sports, 11 sub-events, and 64 disciplines. The six major sports are biathlon, curling, ice hockey, figure skating, skiing and ski mountaineering. All the six sports will feature both men's and women's events, with some also offering mixed-gender competitions, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The speed skating events at the 9th Asian Winter Games will award the most gold medals, with a total of 14 golds, followed by short track speed skating with nine golds. The ice sports venues include the existing facilities that hosted the 1996 Asian Winter Games, while the snow sports events will be held in Yabuli.

"Binbin" and "Nini,"  two mascots of event, will take on various roles, such as helicopter pilots, submarine drivers, scientists and astronauts, allowing young people to experience the stories behind winter sports through these creative products.