China, Finland agree to develop ice and snow sports

A signing ceremony for the establishment of a winter sports liaison office in Harbin is held on March 28.[Photo/Chinanews.com]

China and Finland signed strategic cooperation agreements in the field of ice and snow sports at a cooperation and matchmaking meeting held in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on March 28. It marks the beginning of “the winter sports year between China and Finland in 2019”.

A delegation of 53 government and business representatives led by Finland’s minister for European affairs, culture and sport paid a visit to Harbin from March 27 to 29.

The two sides agreed to set up a winter sports center at Harbin liaison office.

The Finnish city of Rovaniemi also negotiated with Harbin and signed an agreement to develop winter sports together. Several sports institutes in China and Finland also conducted exchanges and signed framework agreements with each other.

Heilongjiang province is a first-class winter sports province in China –– its athletes have won nine gold medals in previous Winter Olympic Games.

In recent years, there has been considerable cooperation between the province and Finland, including in training and building facilities, said Yang Tao, director of the Sports Bureau of Heilongjiang province.

Finland is one of the top countries for snow and ice sports, especially its national sport ––ice hockey. Seeking to take advantage of the country’s expertise in this area, China has signed a memorandum of cooperation on skiing with Finland.

It is hoped that the cooperation between the two countries will deepen the bilateral relationship and assist the development of China’s snow and ice sports.