Harbin Asian Winter Games attracts record entry of NOCs

The 9th Asian Winter Games, scheduled to take place in Harbin, northeast China from February 7-14, 2025, will see the highest participation in the event’s history, with a total of 34 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) registered, according to the organizers.

Among the participating countries, China, Japan and South Korea will compete in all sports events. The most popular events include Alpine skiing, with 25 NOCs registered, followed by short track speed skating and figure skating, each with 21 NOCs, cross-country skiing with 18 NOCs, and snowboarding with 16 NOCs.

The previous highest entry for the AWG was 32 NOCs for Sapporo, Japan in 2017, with this figure including two invited NOCs from Oceania – Australia and New Zealand – alongside the 30 Asian NOCs.

The 9th Asian Winter Games, following the Beijing Winter Olympics, is another significant international winter sports event hosted by China.

Approved by the Olympic Council of Asia, the upcoming Games will feature six sports, 11 disciplines and a total of 64 events. Notably, mixed doubles curling, ski mountaineering and synchronized aerials of freestyle skiing will make their debut at the Asian Winter Games.

Bai Zhiguo, Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian Winter Games Organizing Committee and Director of the Harbin Sports Bureau, stated that the competition venues will be divided between Harbin and Yabuli Ski Resort. Harbin will host the ice sports events, while Yabuli will host the snow sports events.

Currently, all competition venues are undergoing upgrades in cooling, dehumidification, lighting, heating, networking, and functional facilities, based on previous improvements. The renovation work is nearing completion, with the Harbin Ice Hockey Arena and the ski mountaineering facilities at Yabuli already completed and accepted. Other venues are scheduled to be fully completed by the end of September.