China's northernmost province Heilongjiang: cradle of Winter Olympic champions

BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Located in the northernmost part of China, Heilongjiang Province has been gifted ice and snow by nature, which allowed it to become the cradle of gold medalists at the Winter Olympic Games.

On Saturday, Gao Tingyu, born in Heilongjiang, became the first Chinese male Olympic champion in speed skating when he won the 500-meter event with an Olympic record time.

On Feb. 7, Ren Ziwei, also from Heilongjiang, clinched a gold medal in the men's 1,000-meter short track speed skating.

Over the past 10 days, Chinese athletes have notched four gold medals at Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Among the seven gold medalists, six are from Heilongjiang, a major province of ice and snow sports.

Before taking home gold in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Chinese athletes have won 13 gold medals at various Winter Olympics, and athletes from Heilongjiang are responsible for nine wins.

The legend of the province lies not only in its unique natural resources but also in people's enthusiasm for ice and snow sports and the vigorous development of these sports in the province.

In 1953, the first national ice sports meeting was held in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang. The fervor of ice and snow sports has been ignited among people there since then.

Heilongjiang has become a principal host in China for major winter sports events.

"I remember when I was young, many factories even established their own ice hockey teams to enter into competitions. I remember the boisterous crowds on the outdoor skating rinks in Harbin," said Luo Zhihuan, China's first winter sports world champion and the first torchbearer of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Hailed from Heilongjiang, the 81-year-old man won gold at the 1963 World Speed Skating Championship in Japan.

Back in Luo's era, the training conditions were unimaginably harsh. Lacking indoor venues, athletes had to skate or ski in the wild, where the temperature dipped below minus 30 degrees Celsius.

To promote winter sports decades ago, Heilongjiang encouraged schools to build ice rinks and carry out ice and snow sports. Some schools near the mountains offered snowboards for the students.

Through decades of development, athletes are now equipped with professional sports gear and receive training in high-tech stadiums.

Apart from athletes, ice and snow sports have been practiced by a wider public. While the winter sports are no longer just for winter, residents are encouraged to take part in the sports year-round

With a population of more than 31.8 million, the participation rate of residents in ice and snow sports in Heilongjiang reached 57.8 percent, ranking first in China, according to Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau.

Today, millions of teenagers in the province have participated in ice and snow sports. The province has cultivated a large number of talents for ice and snow sports.