The 2019 China-Finland Winter Sports Year — Finland-China Winter Sports Forum was held on the morning of December 2 local time in Rovaniemi, Finland. As a high-level industry-specific matchmaking event under the framework of the 2019 China-Finland Winter Sports Year, nearly 200 representatives from government, industry, academia, and research sectors of both countries attended the event, including the General Administration of Sport of China, the Organizing Committee of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Business Finland, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the City of Rovaniemi, and the Embassy of Finland in China.
On behalf of the Finnish government, Finnish Ambassador to China Schiehle emphasized that the China-Finland Winter Sports Year, which is coming to an end, is a milestone in sports cooperation between the two countries and a new starting point for deepening collaboration in winter sports.
Liu Fumin, Director of the Department of Sports Economics of the General Administration of Sport of China, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. He noted that the 2019 China-Finland Winter Sports Year is the first national year themed around sports held by China with another country. The two sides carried out numerous industry matchmaking activities in areas such as the operation of ice and snow events, ice and snow training, and the construction of ice and snow venues, signing over 20 cooperation agreements. Many of these collaborative outcomes have already been implemented, playing a positive role in promoting the joint development of the winter sports industries of both countries.
Ding Dong, Executive Deputy Director of the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, introduced that during the 2018/19 season, approximately 389 Chinese winter sports athletes traveled to Finland for training and competitions. Currently, China has also hired eight Finnish coaches to train its snowboarding, Nordic combined, curling, and ski jumping teams. This series of cooperative exchanges has not only helped China rapidly improve its competitive level in winter sports, but also injected new vitality into cultural exchanges between the two countries, planting a seed of friendship for “people-to-people bonds,” which has already borne abundant fruit.
Liu Fumin, Director of the Department of Sports Economics, General Administration of Sport of China
In his welcome speech, Lauri Nortunen, CEO of Business Finland, mentioned that over the past year, the two countries have achieved cooperative results within the planned framework, while also fostering collaboration and exchanges beyond it — such as the establishment of a partnership between the Finnish Paralympic Committee and the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, and the hosting of the Finnish Tiia Ski Marathon in Harbin, China.
Liu Yumin, Director of the Planning and Construction Department of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee, stated that taking the opportunity of hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics, and building on the multiple cooperative achievements already made in the field of winter Olympics between the two countries, he looks forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation with Finland in winter sports.
At the forum, enterprises from China and Finland and associations related to winter sports projects delivered keynote speeches on topics such as the current state of winter sports development, cooperation opportunities, development strategies, and preparations for the Winter Olympics. Two sub-forums and on-site project matchmaking activities also achieved fruitful results.
The closing ceremony of the China-Finland Winter Sports Year will be held in Rovaniemi on December 3 local time.