OlymPicks: China Speeds Past Austria on the Slopes

OlymPicks is an ongoing blog series whereby we highlight news, gossip, and developments regarding the buildup to Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics.

You'd think Austrian athletes would have a significant advantage over their Chinese counterparts on the slopes, and yet a skier named Liu Ji finished first at the Advantage Austria Ski Race at Zhangjiakou's Genting Secret Garden Resort in Hebei held over the weekend of February 18-19.

It was the first time that a Chinese racer had won at the competition, which has been held in China for the past eight years and is considered "a networking platform for the Austrian-Chinese winter sports community," according to the China Daily. The event attracted 110 racers from not only China but across the globe, and these days the number of Chinese competitors has outgrown that of Austrians.

Such shifts bode well for the 2022 Winter Olympics. After all, the Chinese are by no means known for their winter sports enthusiasm, performing far better at the summer Games in the past. But a major push to develop Zhangjiakou's skiing facilities, along with Austrians coming to Beijing and not only lose skiing competitions but also invest in the emerging market, are all signs of a dramatic change in dynamics. As China Daily put it: "Austria, having a long tradition of winter sports, was one of the first countries to develop ski resorts, technologies related to winter sports and a winter sports industry," before going on to quote Zhan Weiping, vice chairman of the Austria-China Friendship Association, about how a growing number of Austrian skiing and skating companies are investing in the Chinese market.

Click "Read more" for the rest of this story.

Photo: CNN

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