Xinhua News Agency, Changchun, January 4Title: Spanning 6,800 kilometers and lasting for 22 years – “China Vasa” builds a “platinum bridge” for Changchun
Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Haofei, Wang Fan and Zhou Wanpeng
Separated by 6,800 kilometers, from Scandinavia to the hinterland of the northeastern plains of China, the cities of Mugla and Changchun have completed the “Snow Link” relying on the Vasa International Ski Festival. From the niche events at the beginning of its introduction to the business card of the ice and snow economy with diverse sports, cultural tourism, and economy and trade, “China Vassar” has been building a “platinum bridge” for Changchun for 22 consecutive years.
On the morning of the 4th, with the sound of the starting gun, nearly a thousand professional athletes and ski enthusiasts from China, Sweden, Finland, the United States, Japan and other countries and regions gathered in front of the main snow sculpture of “Dragon in the Golden Age” of Jingyuetan National Forest Park in Changchun. We set off collectively from the starting point to set off the first ice and snow carnival in Changchun in 2024.
Just the day before, the Vasa Economic and Trade Fair, the highlight of the 22nd China Changchun Jingyuetan Vasa International Ski Festival, was held on the 3rd in Changchun Jingyue High-tech Zone. During the meeting, Jingyue High-tech Zone signed 38 projects with a planned investment of 18.2 billion yuan and an expected first-year revenue of 6.6 billion yuan, achieving a “good start” in Changchun’s investment promotion in 2024.
“I’m very excited to compete with so many experts. I hope I can finish the race smoothly.” Xiu Feng, a player who participated in the “China Vassar” event for the first time, told reporters on the 4th. The century-old Vaasa International Ski Festival, which originated in Sweden in 1922, is one of the largest cross-country skiing events in the world. In 2003, the first “China Vassar” was launched in Changchun, making Changchun the fourth place where Vassar has settled in the world after Mula in Sweden, Hokkaido in Japan, and Minnesota in the United States.
“Although cross-country skiing is a basic event of the Winter Olympics, it started late in China. The introduction of the Vasa event has given China’s cross-country skiing competitive training level and popularization an unprecedented boost.” 43-year-old Asian cross-country skiing Retired champion Li Geliang said that after Vassar settled in Changchun, the FIS Cross-Country Skiing Points Competition had a fixed Chinese station – Changchun Station. Since then, supporting events such as the China Tour, the 25-kilometer Blueberry Race, and the 2.5-kilometer Volkswagen Ski Race have also been added. , causing the cross-country skiing participation population to gradually grow and form a radiation effect.
In 2014, “China Vasa” officially joined the world’s largest and highest-level long-distance cross-country skiing organization “World Lopet”. Over the past 10 years, the forest and snow fields of Jingyuetan have continued to attract ski masters from home and abroad to compete.
Nicholas, general manager of Changchun Nordivivasa Management Services Co., Ltd., introduced that in order to create a professional, high-level, and international refereeing team, the referees for the inspection, track, starting point, and finish line of this event are all participating He has served as a referee for cross-country skiing and biathlon events at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The organizers of “China Vassar” have more thoughts on how to continue to strengthen the ice and snow industry after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Ding Zhiguo, general manager of Changchun Jingyuetan Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd., said that in order to popularize and promote cross-country skiing, Jingyuetan has cooperated with universities in Changchun to vigorously carry out cross-country skiing public welfare training.
The public welfare training of “China Vassar” has allowed many college students studying in Changchun to complete their skiing experience, and has also given the outstanding students who have achieved high school the opportunity to ski all over the world. In 2019, the National Collegiate Cross-Country Ski Team, composed of students from many universities in Changchun, represented China at the World University Winter Games in Russia. “Since this snow season, we have been conducting public welfare courses in Jingyuetan for about a month.” said Wang Jun, a physical education teacher at Changchun University of Technology.
Vasa, which originated in Northern Europe, has developed from a single event into a business card of the ice and snow economy integrating sports, culture and tourism, and economic and trade diversification after 22 years of cultivation in Changchun. For this event, the organizer Changchun Jingyue High-tech Zone continued to set the theme of “Passionate Vassar·Charming Jingyue”. In more than 4 months, with “China Vassar” as the main line, “Ice and Snow + Sports” were successively carried out “Ice and Snow + Culture” and “Ice and Snow + Economic and Trade” and other 20 theme activities continue to build and optimize the “Platinum Bridge”.
“We will also better meet the people’s new needs for ice and snow consumption.” Chen Aimin, deputy director of the Management Committee of Changchun Jingyue High-tech Zone, said that with the focus on exploring ice and snow resources and enriching the ice and snow industry, Jingyuetan will also host snow resorts Mass ice and snow sports such as football invitational tournaments, car ice and snow drift races, ice dragon boat races, and ice and snow fun runs, and create ice and snow internet celebrity products such as snow sculpture clusters, blue ice, Snow Country Train, and snow coffee.
In the name of “Vasa Angel”, we spread the charm of Changchun’s ice and snow culture to the world. At the opening ceremony of “China Vassar” on the 4th, Wang Jin, a student from Changchun Guanghua College who had just won the overall championship of the “Ice and Snow Angel” of this ski festival, completed his appearance and display. After more than 20 years of cultivation and development, the “Snow Angel” selection has become an important cultural event of “China Vassar” and a beautiful youth scenery on the “Platinum Bridge”.
“Vasa is not only a sports event, but also a cultural exchange platform.” Wang Jin said, “I hope more people will come to Changchun in the future to appreciate the charm of ‘Vasa China’ and feel the charm of Changchun’s ice and snow.”
2024-01-04 10:45:37
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