On February 17, Referee Hou Chun from Hebei Province concluded his duty for the individual short-distance cross-country skiing event of the 14th National Winter Games held at the Liangcheng ski resort in Ulanqab of Inner Mongolia.
He has been in Ulanqab since February 3 and spent the entire Spring Festival holiday there. He officially began his referee duty on February 14 when the cross-country skiing event started.
Hou Chun, president of Zhangjiakou's Xuanhua District Ice and Snow Sports Association, had previously served as a liaison officer during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. At the ongoing 14th National Winter Games, he has overseen the endpoint operations of cross-country skiing event, handling pre-match arrangements, real-time reporting, and post-match equipment checking.
"For the cross-country skiing event alone, more than ten referees are from Hebei Province, many of whom had previously served at the Beijing Winter Olympics," Hou Chun explained.
Hebei's abundant resources, including venue facilities and talents, are being further utilized as part of the legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics. As one of the competition zones, Zhangjiakou recently hosted ski jumping and Nordic combined events. Now, referees from Hebei Province are a common sight in various competitions of the 14th National Winter Games. They include personnel from sports organizations, university teachers, and winter sports lovers from hospitals, primary and secondary schools, and other sectors.
Some winter sports-related products from Hebei Province have also appeared at the 14th National Winter Games.
The Hebei-based Italian company Technoalpin, named Tianbing Group, which was the snowmaking equipment supplier for the Beijing Winter Olympics, has supplied same equipment and support service for the Chifeng, Zhangjiakou, and Ulanqab competition zones of the National Winter Games.
Tianhua Sports Goods, a company in Dingzhou of Hebei Province, which had supplied protective mats for the Beijing Winter Olympics, is now serving the short-track speed skating and figure staking events of the National Winter Games.
Yang Jijun, the company's general manager, said with pride, "I'm greatly honored to serve the National Winter Games with our products. This is another recognition of our products." His company has served the National Winter Games for five times in a row.
To ensure successful service, Yang and his team came to Inner Mongolia on February 13 to offer technical support for the use of protective mats at the short-track speed skating venue in Inner Mongolia.
As the short-track speed skating open group competition concluded on February 18 and the figure skating competition begins at the same venue on February 21, Yang is doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transition of the protective mats. Reflecting on his experience of serving the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he said the transition this time will undoubtedly be seamless.
Editor: Song Lifang
