On the evening of February 17, magnificent fireworks lit up the night sky in Hailar District, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. A simple but rich opening ceremony announced the official opening of the 14th National Winter Games (hereinafter referred to as the "14th Winter"). Affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the "14th Winter" originally scheduled to open in early 2020 has been postponed for four years. If the bidding time is included, the entire bidding and preparation time for the "14th Winter" exceeded 10 years. After 10 years of waiting, the "Fourteen Winters" that was originally supposed to be held before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was finally held two years after the Beijing Winter Olympics. At this time, the domestic ice and snow atmosphere had already undergone earth-shaking changes.

This Winter Games set many firsts

　　The "14th Winter" is the first time that a large-scale comprehensive sports event in the country has been held in Inner Mongolia. It is also the second time that the National Winter Games has been held outside Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces after the "13th Winter" was held in Xinjiang in 2016. In addition, the "14th Winter" is the first large-scale comprehensive winter sports event held in China after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. It is also the first national winter games to set up mass competitions. But among all the expressions such as "first time" and "first", the most historic significance of the "14th Winter" is that for the first time, teams from provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities were organized to participate in the competition, attracting a total of 31 provinces across the country. (district, city), as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region, plus the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, China Petroleum Industry Sports Association, etc., a total of 35 delegations participated.

　　Zhu Chengyi, former deputy director of the Winter Sports Management Center of the State Sports General Administration, excitedly told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily, "my country's winter sports can be said to have truly entered a new stage of development. It can be said that the Winter Games and the Summer National Games The Games have truly realized that two carriages keep pace with each other. In the previous 13 Winter Games, the number of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities that carried out ice and snow sports, the number of ice and snow sports projects, and the number of participants could not compare with the Summer National Games. Therefore, in For a long time before the '14th Winter', the organizing units of the Winter Games were mainly prefecture-level cities, and they mainly came from prefecture-level cities in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. There were not many competition events and not many people. , its influence, driving force, and development power are far less than those of the Summer National Games. Moreover, the situation of various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities emphasizing summer over winter has existed for a long time. This Winter Games is the first time that provincial-level administrative units have organized teams, opening up the national winter sports A new and comprehensive stage of development.”

　　In the "14th Winter", more than a dozen provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) such as Hubei, Hunan, Yunnan, Fujian, and Guangdong have teams participating in the National Winter Games for the first time. In contrast, "300 million people participating in ice and snow sports" has become a reality. Ice and snow sports have become popular sports in both the north and the south of the country.

　　Zou Xinxian, chief expert and professor at the Beijing Sport University Winter Olympics Culture and Ice and Snow Sports Development Research Base, believes that "the legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics is deeply affecting China. First, the realization of the grand goal of '300 million people participating in ice and snow sports' has not only greatly promoted The enthusiasm of the general public and young people across the country to participate in ice and snow sports has opened a new era of global ice and snow sports, and has greatly promoted the substantial improvement of the competitive level of my country's ice and snow sports. The wonderful performance and eye-catching competitive results of Chinese athletes in the Winter Olympics have also boosted Ice and snow sports have attracted national attention, driving more people to enter ice rinks and snowfields. Second, the successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics has not only promoted the balanced development of ice and snow sports, but also promoted the targeted development of appropriate ice and snow sports in different regions. Sports projects, including encouraging the three northeastern provinces to develop more ice and snow projects, accelerating the development of ice and snow projects in North China and Northwest China, and mobilizing other regions with conditions to develop suitable ice and snow projects. At the same time, emphasizing strengthening regional cooperation and resource sharing, and promoting ice and snow sports Cross-regional development.”

　　When ice and snow sports become a sport for all seasons, all regions, and for all people, and when ice and snow sports are developed in various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in the country, it will become an inevitable demand to form teams to participate in the National Winter Games. In turn, the Winter Games with a wider radiation range will It will play a role in further expanding the influence of ice and snow sports across the country.

　　Wang Fei, dean of the School of Sports, Humanities and Social Sciences of Harbin Institute of Sport, believes that "both ice and snow sports and the development of the ice and snow economy urgently need an 'event window'." She said, "By October 2021, 346 million people in our country have participated Ice and snow sports. From the perspective of the development of ice and snow sports, the foundation has been established. In the post-Winter Olympics era, we must continue to consolidate the results of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports". How to consolidate? The "event window" is very critical. Through the National Winter Games, People become more familiar with ice and snow sports events, and then become interested and encourage everyone to experience them for themselves. This process is a clear path for people to participate in ice and snow sports, but it requires guidance and creation of opportunities. Therefore, ice and snow sports events are critical."

　　Therefore, as Chinese people’s enthusiasm for ice and snow continues to rise, the National Winter Games, in addition to its original competitive sports value, will become a crucial part of the sustainable development of the national ice and snow economy.

The comprehensive benefits of ice and snow events are highlighted

　　Since the beginning of this winter, the ice and snow economy, represented by Harbin’s hot outing, also means that when the people’s passion for ice and snow has been ignited, top domestic ice and snow events such as the National Winter Games should also exert more comprehensive benefits.

　　At the press conference of this Winter Games held on February 16, Sun Wei, deputy mayor of the Hulunbuir Municipal Government, introduced that Hulunbuir City took the opportunity to host the "14th Winter" and relied on the advantages of ice and snow ecology and diverse folk culture to create distinctive features. brand and take a differentiated approach.

　　According to reports, the domestic ice and snow fever this winter has also appeared in Hulunbuir. Sun Wei introduced that from November 2023 to January 2024, the number of tourists and tourism revenue in Hulunbuir city were 2.2 times and 2.7 times respectively compared with the same period last year. In the six days before the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, Hulunbuir received 1.3129 million tourists and generated tourism revenue of 909 million yuan, 9.2 times and 11 times respectively compared with the same period last year. Looking at the entire region of Inner Mongolia, in the six days before the Spring Festival holiday, the region received 24.8612 million tourists and generated tourism revenue of 17.703 billion yuan, which were 6.15 times and 8.25 times respectively in the same period last year.

　　After the Beijing Winter Olympics, the development of the ice and snow economy has ushered in new opportunities and entered a critical period of growth. Wang Fei said, "It needs to be clear that the foundation of ice and snow economic development is ice and snow sports, and ice and snow sports need to show their charm in the form of events. The 'Fourteen Winters' is a cultural platform for the development of the ice and snow economy. The role of the 'Fourteen Winters' Through various ice and snow sports competitions, people learn about the characteristics and competition rules of ice and snow sports and feel its charm. This is the process of dissemination and promotion of ice and snow sports culture, and it is also the process of making more people like ice and snow sports. In this way Under the guidance of the culture, people will be willing to participate in ice and snow sports, thus forming more ice and snow consumption. Ice and snow sports events have always been an important platform for the dissemination of sports culture and ice and snow spirit. The development of the ice and snow economy requires such a platform. During its critical period of development, the National Winter Games will give the ice and snow economy a broader space for development."

　　When the cold economy has become a hot economy, how can sports events play a catalyst role? Zou Xinxian believes that the Beijing Winter Olympics is actually a good reference case. "The Beijing Winter Olympics has created an Olympic movement with 'faster environmental transformation process, higher quality development level, and stronger public participation'." A typical example of mutual promotion and mutual achievement with the urban economy. To this end, suggestions are made: First, during the event hosting process, focus on taking the construction of competition facilities and supporting facilities as an opportunity, and on the basis of meeting the needs of the event, realize urban transportation, barrier-free facilities, The transformation and upgrading of many supporting infrastructures such as environmental facilities and event services; second, the integrated development of ice and snow sports, ice and snow tourism, ice and snow culture and other industries through the preparation of events, so that they can play a role in the renewal and upgrading of the urban economy. For example, the Shougang Park in Under the influence of the 'Double Olympic City', the city has completely realized the successful transformation from traditional manufacturing to service industry, and its completely new functional appearance has become an important symbol of Beijing's urban renewal."

　　The "Thirteen Winters" held in Xinjiang in 2016 greatly increased the visibility of Xinjiang's ice and snow resources and helped Xinjiang become a highly attractive national popular destination for ice and snow sports and ice and snow tourism. So, can "Fourteen Winters" replicate such success?

　　Wang Fei believes that Inner Mongolia is a province with outstanding regional characteristics, and both national culture and regional culture are highly representative. The development of ice and snow tourism and ice and snow economy in Inner Mongolia must be closely linked to the characteristics of the region, and must be differentiated from Heilongjiang, Jilin, Xinjiang, and Chongli, Hebei and other regions, and must be developed in a differentiated manner. She suggested, “Inner Mongolia’s ice and snow sports It is necessary to organically integrate the characteristic culture of Inner Mongolia, including food culture, living culture, ethnic songs and dances, etc. It is necessary to realize that the ice and snow economy is a new economic format, and the products provided are new service products with strong integration. In addition, in some ice and snow The design of sports and tourism products needs to combine the overall strength of the autonomous region, respond to multiple cities, and create a unified layout."

Hold a meeting well and improve a city

　　The "14th Winter" is the first time Inner Mongolia has hosted a large-scale national sports event. Since the successful bid, the preparation time has been as long as 8 years. For Inner Mongolia, it also has the expectation of “hosting a conference well and improving a city”. In fact, whether it is Chengdu, which hosted the Universiade last year, Hangzhou, the Asian Games, Guangxi, where the first Youth Conference was held, or Inner Mongolia, which is the host of the "14th Winter" this time, and Harbin, which will host the Asian Winter Games next year, through large-scale It is an inevitable demand for sports events to obtain multiple values.

　　In this regard, the core concept conveyed by the Beijing Winter Olympics as a successful example is to "integrate the Winter Olympics into the long-term development of cities and regions" and "achieve a higher level of regional development." Zou Xinxian said, "The Beijing Winter Olympics not only led to the improvement of regional environmental quality, but also greatly promoted the development of the urban economy. During the preparation process, we continued to build and improve urban infrastructure, promote the development of the ice and snow industry, promote the construction of sports culture and tourism belts, and promote A series of measures such as the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries have given new impetus to regional economic development and are quietly building a new situation for the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei."

　　Wang Fei suggested that the host city should work hard on the "three forces": including actively enhancing the appeal of ice and snow sports culture. Because the attraction and influence of culture will be very long-lasting, both ice and snow sports and economic development must highlight their charm, and the appeal of ice and snow sports culture must be improved. Vigorously improve the service capabilities of "promising government". Because "good government" is crucial to the hosting of the event. An event requires effective government guidance, good planning, public services and event guarantees, but the fundamental starting point is service. Quickly establish a guarantee of talents for ice and snow events. The holding of large-scale sports events, especially ice and snow sports events, requires high standards and strong professionalism, and there is a shortage of professional talents. At present, most regions across the country are faced with the situation of holding no large-scale ice and snow sports events and a shortage of talents for professional ice and snow sports events. Planning in advance, training in advance, and conducting drills are all important measures. At the same time, through the holding of large-scale ice and snow sports events, we must also actively expand the training of various ice and snow sports talents to reserve professional talents for the development of national ice and snow sports and ice and snow economy.

　　The curtain of the "14th Winter" has begun. Due to the overwhelming audience and the gathering of media, the short track speed skating competition of the "14th Winter" has become the first high-demand event in the history of the National Winter Games. When the coldness of ice and snow sports is only reflected in the temperature of the competition venue, the "hot era" of China's ice and snow and Winter Games may have arrived.

　　Hulunbuir newspaper, February 19

　　China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Cixin Source: China Youth Daily