Harbin to Hold Winter Games for Russian Teenagers

The first winter games for teenagers from China and Russia will be held in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, according to a press conference held on Dec 1.

The games are to be held from Dec 6 to Dec 11 and will be sponsored by the General Administration of Sports and the Heilongjiang provincial government, and will be hosted by the Heilongjiang Sports Bureau.

The sports meeting for Chinese and Russian teenagers is an important part of the joint declaration released at the 21st regular meeting between the Chinese premier and Russian prime minister. It is also an important measure to further conduct cultural exchanges between the two countries and implement the action plan of Sino-Russian citizen dialogue.

More than 200 athletes will take part in the games, which have five sporting events, including figure skating, speed skating, ice hockey, short-track speed skating, and alpine skiing.

The speed skating and short-track speed skating events will be held from Dec 9 to Dec 10 at the Heilongjiang Ice Sports Training Base; the figure skating and ice hockey events will be held from Dec 8 to Dec 10 in Harbin Hockey Hall; and the alpine skiing will be held from Dec 9 to Dec 10 on Mao’er mountain in the city of Shangzhi.

During the sports meeting, Chinese and Russian athletes will train together, and coaches from both countries will comment on the performance of the athletes.

The teenage athletes will also be taken to visit the sci-tech hall. Also, Russian athletes will be invited to take part in cultural activities such as drinking Chinese tea and making dumplings.

The opening ceremony of the games will be held at 3:20 pm on Dec 7 in the Heilongjiang Ice Sports Training Base.