Xi opens 2025 Asian Winter Games

Under the motto 'Dream of Winter, Love among Asia' and through a festive opening ceremony supported by the spectacle and culture of ice, Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the ninth edition of the multi-sport event on Friday in Harbin. 

The International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre of the Chinese city, known as 'The Capital of Cold', served to open the doors of an event which will extend until 14 February and marks the return of the Asian country as host of a winter competition of this magnitude after the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

The occasion gathered more than 8.000 spectators and was attended by authorities such as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and regional leaders such as the Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, or the Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

The ceremony, which was divided into three main acts, first addressed the relationship that Harbin maintains with this type of sports and continued highlighting the role that China and the rest of the continent are playing in this regard. The act began with a presentation focused on local culture through various music and dance performances, and with an opening speech in which President Xi highlighted the aspirations of peace, prosperity, and friendship of the Asian peoples.

The night continued with the parade in alphabetical order of the delegations of the 34 participating countries, a staging full of traditional costumes in which the host team intervened last, led by prominent athletes such as speed skater Ning Zhongyan and skier Liu Mengting, gold medallist in the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup in January. Both were responsible for carrying the Chinese national flag.

The climax came with the lighting of the cauldron at the ceremony's sub-venue, Harbin Ice and Snow World, the largest ice and snow theme park in the world. The ones in charge of officially lighting the Olympic path were the four torchbearers, the two-time Olympic champion and short track speed skater Yang Yang, the first winter Olympic gold medallist and freestyle skier Han Xiaopeng, the Olympic champion in race walking Wang Zhen, and the Sochi Olympic speed skating champion Zhang Hong, all accompanied by a group of children carrying ice lanterns.

The last chapter was reserved for a wide range of artistic performances with presentations of ice ballet, acrobatics, and spectacular light shows and technological displays that culminated in a large fireworks display.

The 2025 Asian Winter Games boast a record participation with a list of 1.270 athletes, thus surpassing the previous figure recorded in the Sapporo, Japan edition in 2017, which reached 1.147 competitors. This year, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia are sending delegations for the first time to an event that will take place from 7 to 14 February and includes disciplines such as speed skating, short track speed skating, curling, skiing, and snowboarding. The ice events will be held in Harbin, while the skiing and snowboarding events will take place in Yabuli, about 200 kilometres southeast of the city.

This is the third time the Chinese city has hosted these Games, after Harbin 1996 and Changchun 2007. The event is being held in extreme weather conditions, with temperatures expected to reach -24°C over the weekend. In this situation, authorities have recommended attendees take precautions and have intensified security measures to prevent incidents due to snow accumulation on access roads.

Before the opening ceremony, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, hosted a welcome banquet for the attending international dignitaries. During his speech, he highlighted the impact of the Games on the global development of winter sports and reaffirmed his commitment to popularising these disciplines in China.

In this regard, he reiterated his goal of getting 300 million Chinese citizens to practice winter sports, as part of a strategy to consolidate the country as a leader in this industry. In addition, the leader urged Asia to "defend the common dream of peace and harmony, jointly respond to security challenges, and contribute to the construction of an equal and orderly multipolar world."

The Chinese leader asserted that the organisation of these events reflects the close cooperation between China and the IOC. "The Olympic spirit is an important part of human civilisation and is consistent with China's goal of advancing the construction of a strong country," Xi said, adding that his nation "is moving towards the goal of becoming a sports power and a healthy nation, and will continue to make new contributions to the international sports cause."

For his part, Bach stated that "China defends and practices the concepts of unity, cooperation, equality, and respect, adheres to multilateralism, opposes the politicisation of sport, supports the participation of developing countries in sports, and has promoted the healthy development of the Olympic movement."