Shanghai Ice and snow sports penetration rate increases (ice and snow sports heat up)

At the Sanlin Sports Center in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, children are training in ice hockey. Photo by Yang Jianzheng (People's Vision)

The Beijing Winter Olympics are exciting and ignite the hearts of Shanghai citizens thousands of miles away. Ice skating, curling, indoor skiing... In Shanghai's North Bund, Lujiazui, Changfeng Park and other major scenic spots and commercial areas, citizens can be seen everywhere participating in ice and snow sports. In recent years, Shanghai has increased the construction of ice and snow sports venues and facilities, accelerated the promotion of ice and snow sports projects, and let ice and snow sports enter the homes of ordinary people.

During this time, there are often long queues next to the circular skating rink in the atrium of a large shopping mall in Shanghai's Putuo district. This skating rink can be skated or pushed on a seal-shaped cart to play on the ice, attracting many parents and their children to come and experience.

"My child is now in the fourth grade of elementary school and started skating three years ago." Ms. Yang, a citizen who took pictures of her daughter at the side of the skating rink, told reporters that the sport enhanced the child's physical strength and endurance.

Ice sports using shopping malls, business districts and suitable venues around them have become popular in Shanghai in recent years. Urban ski space, sports ski factory, ice experience center... Relying on the characteristics of different spaces, all kinds of different forms of ice and snow sports venues have blossomed everywhere in Shanghai.

Yan Jiadong, president of the Shanghai Ice and Snow Sports Association, introduced that in 2017, the number of participants in various ice and snow activities in Shanghai was more than 600,000; with the continuous promotion and popularization of ice and snow sports, this number has reached more than 2.8 million in 2021. In order to encourage more citizens to embark on ice and snow venues, at the end of 2021, Shanghai will launch a special ice and snow coupon for sports consumption coupons, which can be used in many ice and snow project venues.

"Shanghai launched ice and snow sports earlier, we give full play to the role of ice and snow sports associations and social organizations, through joint construction and other ways, in the ice and snow projects to achieve full coverage of ice and snow projects, snow projects key breakthroughs." The 17th Shanghai Municipal Games, which is currently under preparation, will significantly increase the number of ice and snow projects. Xu Bin, director of the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, introduced.

"Shanghai has accelerated the development of ice and snow sports, helped ice and snow sports 'expand from the south to the west and expanded to the east', greatly increased the popularity of ice and snow sports, significantly improved the level of ice and snow sports competition, accelerated the development of the ice and snow sports industry, and made positive contributions to the holding of the Winter Olympic Games." Shanghai Vice Mayor Chen Qun said.

The 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Sports in Shanghai, issued in September 2021, lists the acceleration of the development of ice and snow sports as one of the main development tasks of sports during the 14th Five-Year Plan period in Shanghai. The "Planning" clearly states that by 2025, there will be 30 ice and snow sports clubs in Shanghai, 100 special schools for ice and snow sports, 1,000 teams and interest groups participating in ice and snow sports on campus all year round, and more than 1 million young students participating in ice and snow sports and popularization training every year.

People's Daily ( 2022-02-14 14th edition)