China sends Olympic statement as tropics make Asian Winter Games history

HARBIN – The Asian Winter Games closed in Harbin on Feb 14, with hosts China dominating the medal tally a year before the Olympics and the Philippines among the tropical countries making history.

Tightly rehearsed dancers and a digital symphony orchestra kicked off the closing ceremony, before the athletes entered the 10,000-capacity Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre waving flags and snapping selfies.

A huge screen displayed images of futuristic ski slopes and the words “See you in Saudi Arabia”, the next Asian Winter Games hosts, and a logo for “Neom 2029”.

The ninth edition of the regional Games – but the first since 2017 – saw China win twice as many gold medals (32) as nearest challengers South Korea, with Japan third with 10.

Even so, Zhou Jinqiang, head of China’s delegation and vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, called on athletes to raise standards ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

“While China’s performance at the AWG was impressive, it still lags behind global standards in winter sports, with notable gaps in training, talent development, and the establishment of robust coaching and youth systems,” Xinhua quoted him as saying.

China enjoyed success in speed skating and swept the women’s freeski golds despite missing Beijing Olympics hero Eileen Gu, who withdrew days before the Games with injury.

South Korea’s world-class skaters came out on top in short track, winning two-thirds of the sport’s gold medals.

Naturalised Chinese short track skater Lin Xiaojun, the 2018 Olympic champion in the 1,500m for South Korea, was the hosts’ sole individual champion, clinching the men’s 500m sprint.

A late clash between China’s Lin and South Korea’s Park Ji-won in the men’s 5,000m relay cost both countries gold, with Kazakhstan taking the win.

In figure skating, where the field also contained world and Olympic medallists, South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan won the men’s singles gold.

That came hours after teammate Kim Chae-yeon ousted hot favourite Kaori Sakamoto of Japan for the women’s crown.

“Sakamoto is such an excellent skater,” Kim said, according to Yonhap News agency.

“I wanted to beat Sakamoto at least once at some point, and it’s an honour to beat her at a big competition like this.”

North Korean figure skater Ryom Tae Ok, who competed under a unified Korean flag at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, was second with Han Kum Chol in pairs skating.

Thailand’s Teekhree Silpa-Archa paid a poignant tribute to members of her Boston skating club who died in January in the Washington plane crash that killed 67 people.

“I wanted to take them on an international stage and do it for them,” she told AFP, having clutched photos of tragic teenage skaters Spencer Lane and Jinna Han.

Chinese Taipei, Thailand and the Philippines all won Asian Winter Games medals for the first time.

Philippines curler Alan Frei told AFP on Feb 14 that it felt “absolutely wild” to outdo two-time champions South Korea for a historic gold.

“This is so weird, isn’t it?” he said.

Thai Paul Henri Vieuxtemps won bronze in the men’s freeski slopestyle while Taiwanese speed skater Chen Ying-chu was third in the women’s 100m.

Ski mountaineering made its Winter Asiad bow, a year before the sport’s debut in Milan-Cortina. China promptly won all nine available medals.

The Saudis were at the Games for the first time, but their eight-athlete team did not win a medal in either of their two events – men’s curling and alpine skiing.

Meanwhile, controversy was never far away.

Four ice hockey players from Turkmenistan were suspended and thrown out of the Games in the aftermath of their 5-1 thrashing by Hong Kong.

Video footage on social media showed at least three Turkmenistan players throwing punches at Hong Kong players as referees attempted to intervene.

“I am very shocked and heartbroken. I strongly condemn this act of violence,” said Hong Kong’s chef de mission Kenneth Fok. AFP, REUTERS