(Sports Focus) Yearender: Winter Olympics sparks Chinese passion for winter sports

Skiing and skating are booming in China this winter after Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in July.

The winter sports season came early this year in Jilin province, northeastern China, which has abundant snowfall in winter. Throng of college students have been flocking to the Jingyuetan ice rink and the Jingyutan ski resort in Changchun, capital city of Jilin, since early November. Some of them are inspired by the 2022 Winter Olympics, some are driven directly by the year-end national collegiate skating and skiing race.

Li Xin, a student at Changchun Guanghua College, is from Hunan Province in south central China, where snow is rare.

"It's the first time for me to ski. The 2022 Winter Olympics is coming to China and I'll surely go to the spot to watch the skiing competition. If I know how to ski, I can better enjoy watching the professional skiing in venues," said Li.

The winter sports business is thriving this winter as the peak season came earlier than usual in ski resorts.

"Under the influence of Beijing 2022, a lot of tourists from southern China have been visiting my ski resort since early December. They used to come in January, but this winter is different. The peak season begins early and is likely to last longer," said Liang Gang, the manager of Jilin City Beidahu ski resort. "Many visitors are from Shenzhen and Hong Kong, coming just for skiing."

Family skiing features a new trend during this ski season. More children and youths can be seen skiing in the ski resorts in Chongli county, nestled in mountains near the Great Wall.

The number of family skiing rose about 30 percent over last year in the Genting Resort Secret Garden, one of the Beijing 2022 Games ski venues, said Zhao Qiong, the market director of the resort.

Lai Gang, a Beijinger with 15-year ski experience, took his son to learn skiing in Chongli this year.

"My son likes speed sports, and he knows the basic skills and can ski almost independently only after five-day training," Lai said.

In China, the safety concern used to prevent children from taking part in skiing. But it is not a problem any more for Lai.

"I think it is all right if I can prevent others from colliding with him. The tumbles may not hurt him seriously for his lower gravity," he added.

Not all kids are ski rookies in Chongli. "I love skiing, and I have skied for three years," said Wang Yarong, a seven-year-old girl from Beijing.

It's expected that the 2022 Winter Games will attract 300 million Chinese, young people in particular, to attend winter sports.

China's ski resorts are taking a series of measures to boost the involvement of young skiers.

"Children under 1.4 meters can buy entrance tickets and rent ski equipment at half price this year. In the previous years, the favorable measure is reserved for under-1.2-meter-high children," said Zhao Qiong.

Chongli is holding many games and public activities during the on-going international carnival, which will last until next April.

Chongli county has received more visitors in November than the same month last year. Over 248,000 visitors, a 30 percent rise over November last year, swarmed to the ski ranch.

The county's best known resort - Wanlong - is having a very busy season, receiving 300 to 500 visitors daily and 1,500 to 1,700 on weekends since the ski trail opened on Nov. 1, according to the resort's general manager, Yu Donglin.

Chongli has put five ski resorts to full function by the end of November.

Wang Sicong, the son of Wang Jianlin, China's richest man, posted a couple of snowboarding pictures of himself last week on his Weibo account, China's twitter-like social network, adding comments of "Guys, come on! Hurry up to ski, for your own fun, for the Beijing 2022."

Wang is just a reflection of more and more Chinese falling in love with the winter sports, especially for the youngsters. It can be the prospect that the Winter Olympics is kindling the passion of world's biggest group of winter sport fans in the world's most populous country. Endi