CHANGCHUN, Dec. 24 (Huang Jie) — The 4th National University Cross-Country Skiing Competition, hosted by the Snow and Ice Sports Branch of the Chinese University Sports Federation, the Jilin Provincial Department of Education, and the Jilin Provincial Sports Bureau, commenced on the 24th at the Vasaloppet Sports Base in the Jingyue Lake National Scenic Area in Changchun.
As one of the key events of the 2015 Changchun Jingyue Lake Vasaloppet International Ski Festival, this year’s National University Cross-Country Skiing Competition attracted nearly 1,000 university students from 13 universities across the country, including Jilin University, Northeast Normal University, and Hulunbuir College in Inner Mongolia.
At the launch ceremony, Jiang Longjiang, Vice Chairman of the Snow and Ice Sports Branch of the Chinese University Sports Federation, stated that the university cross-country skiing competition not only helps promote physical fitness among students and fosters their enthusiasm and support for snow and ice sports, but also plays an important role in the nationwide promotion and development of cross-country skiing.
The competition is divided into men’s and women’s categories, with a race distance of 1.5 kilometers. According to reports, some of the participating university students are top performers from this year’s “University Students Cross-Country Skiing Training Program.” The training program, which began on November 29 and is ongoing, has trained nearly 50,000 students from universities in Jilin Province across nearly 20 provinces.
It is understood that this event aims to enhance the cross-country skiing skills of university students nationwide, build the Jingyue Lake ice and snow tourism brand, and promote the improvement of technical standards and the popularization of snow and ice sports, particularly cross-country skiing, in Jilin Province and across the country. This will further strengthen the brand influence of Changchun and Jilin Province’s unique ice and snow sports and culture.