Heilongjiang looks to Moscow for winter sports partnerships

Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau announced on Nov 29 that it had signed 25 cooperation agreements and one memo with Russia during the third Sino-Russian sports communication and cooperation meeting held in Harbin, hitting a new record for the number of agreements signed at this kind of event.

The cooperation agreements involve four winter sports –– ice hockey, cross-country skiing, curling, and speed skating –– as well as 11 other projects including track and field, swimming, basketball, archery, and windsurfing, according to an official from Heilongjiang’s sports bureau.

Heilongjiang has rich ice and snow resources to develop winter sports, said Yang Tao, director of Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau. Strengthening communications and cooperation with Russia is a good way to improve the quality of winter sports in the province, Yang said.

Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia, is a key region in China for training athletes for snow and ice sports. Taking advantage of its location to boost the development of winter sports is also of great importance to China, which is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The third Sino-Russian sports communication and cooperation meeting is held in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Nov 29.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

The third Sino-Russian sports communication and cooperation meeting is held in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Nov 29.[Photo/Chinanews.com]