Harbin readies two test events ahead of 2025 Asian Winter Games

Two test events for the upcoming Asian Winter Games are set to be held in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, as the city enters the final phase before hosting the Games that is scheduled to kick off on February 7.  

The Yabuli ski resort is hosting cross-country skiing competitions on Monday and Tuesday, with all 28 athletes coming from the local Heilongjiang team. 

"The test events, a critical rehearsal for the Games, include timing competition management, medical support and media operations," an official with the local organizing committee told the Global Times. "The successful execution of a test event will lay a solid foundation for the upcoming Asian Winter Games."

The Heilongjiang Ice Events Training Centre Speed Skating Oval in downtown Harbin will host a speed skating test event on January 12-13, with over 65 athletes competing in seven disciplines.  

Harbin is scheduled to host a total of 14 test events for the Asian Winter Games from October 2024 to January. Seven events were completed before January, including figure skating and ice hockey. 

The 2025 Asian Winter Games, which will be held in Harbin from February 7 to 14, follow the previous Asian Winter Games held in Sapporo, Japan, in 2017. 

The only candidate city for hosting the event, Harbin won the hosting bid in 2023. 

According to the competition schedule released by the organizers, the Chinese team will make its debut in the mixed doubles' curling round robin on the morning of February 4, ahead of the opening ceremony on February 7. 

The night on February 4 will also feature a men's ice hockey match between Chinese team and their South Korean counterparts. 

The first gold medal of the Games will be awarded on the morning of February 8 and the highly anticipated short track speed skating events will yield gold medals on February 8 and 9. 

Short track is considered one of China's strongholds in winter sports, as the national team has won 12 gold medals across seven Winter Olympics. The Chinese team will face a strong challenge from the South Korean team, which is dominating the sport with 26 Olympic gold medals. 

Harbin has a long-standing heritage in ice and snow sports due to its natural snowy conditions during the winter. 2025 is not the first time Harbin has hosted the Asian Winter Games, as it did so in 1996.