Reporters recently learned from relevant departments of the General Administration of Sport that Jilin Province will host four international events in 2012.
The first international event held in the province this year concluded early last month — the annual Vasaloppet Cross-Country Skiing Race. This marked the 10th edition of the Vasaloppet Ski Festival in Changchun. Now the Vasaloppet Ski Festival has become an important part of the Changchun Ice and Snow Festival. The festival has evolved from a single sporting event into an international extravaganza featuring numerous renowned athletes and vibrant cultural and trade activities, spurring robust regional economic development and serving as a calling card for Changchun on the world stage. Over 10,000 athletes from 23 countries participated in the Vasaloppet Cross-Country Skiing Race.
From the 18th to the 19th of this month, the Freestyle Skiing World Cup will be held at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin. At the aerials competition during the 2012 Freestyle Skiing World Cup Calgary stop last week, Xu Mengtao claimed another gold medal following her back-to-back victories at the U.S. stop, achieving a three-peat. Her teammate Cheng Shuang took home silver for the third consecutive time. On the men’s side, Changchun’s ace Qi Guangpu narrowly missed the gold, finishing just 1.33 points behind. At the National Winter Games XII, Cheng Shuang won the only freestyle skiing aerials gold medal for the Changchun team, while male standout Qi Guangpu tearfully settled for silver by a slim margin of 0.262 points, with the gold controversially awarded to Daqing’s Liu Zhongqing.
From the 18th to the 19th of this month, the Freestyle Skiing World Cup will be held at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin. At the aerials competition during the 2012 Freestyle Skiing World Cup Calgary stop last week, Xu Mengtao claimed another gold medal following her back-to-back victories at the U.S. stop, achieving a three-peat. Her teammate Cheng Shuang took home silver for the third consecutive time. On the men’s side, Changchun’s ace Qi Guangpu narrowly missed the gold, finishing just 1.33 points behind. At the National Winter Games XII, Cheng Shuang won the only freestyle skiing aerials gold medal for the Changchun team, while male standout Qi Guangpu tearfully settled for silver by a slim margin of 0.262 points, with the gold controversially awarded to Daqing’s Liu Zhongqing.
In addition to snow and ice competitions, the 2012 Hwaseong International Half Marathon will take place in Hwaseong City, Yanbian Prefecture (tentatively scheduled for September 8), marking the first international half marathon held in the province in the new century. Meanwhile, the World Orienteering Ranking Series will also be held in September at Jingyuetan in Changchun, consisting of two legs with each lasting four days, and is expected to attract over 200 domestic and international participants.
