PR99943

BEIJING, April 14, 2023 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/

Qitaihe, a city located in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and known

for booming short-track speed skating, recently set up a foundation to boost

development of short-track speed skating amid efforts to turn ice-and-snow

sports into a driving force for economic growth.

The fund of the foundation, which is the first of its kind in Heilongjiang,

will be used to reward coaches and athletes, train talents, and expand

competitive ice-and-snow sports projects.

With four months' temperature below minus 20 degrees Celsius in a year, Qitaihe

boasts unique natural conditions for engaging in various ice sports.

The city currently has 11 schools featuring short-track speed skating, and 18

short-track speed skating teams consisting of 20-odd coaches and more than 500

athletes, making it one of the Chinese cities with the largest talent pool for

short-track speed skating.

More than 300 athletes from Qitaihe have been recruited by national and

provincial teams for the six major sports such as speed skating, ski jumping,

and snowboarding. Several of the athletes who had trained in the city later

became world champions, including Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Sun Linlin and Fan

Kexin.

Qitaihe athletes have won 177 gold medals in world-level competitions and 541

golds in national-level competitions, breaking world records for 16 times. In

2022, the Chinese Olympic Committee awarded the "City of Olympic Champions" to

Qitaihe.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/333633.html

SOURCE: Xinhua Silk Road

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=439890

   Caption: Photo shows the inaugural ceremony of the short-track speed skating development

foundation set up by Qitaihe city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.