Spartan ambassadors do exercise at Thaiwoo ski resort on June 20 in Chongli, Hebei Province. Photo: Courtesy of SECA

A general view of the mountains at Thaiwoo ski resort Photo: Courtesy of SECA

Located 240 kilometers northwest of China's capital Beijing, Chongli, a district under Zhangjiakou in North China's Hebei Province, is developing fast on the wings of sports.

It's a three-and-a-half hour drive from downtown Beijing to Chongli, but the distance seemed not enough to hold back skiing enthusiasts in winter after Beijing won the 2022 Winter Olympics bid in 2015.

The number of skiers to Chongli has surged to 1.08 million in the 2018-19 winter season, compared to only 366,000 in 2013-14, according to Cao Jianwei, deputy chief of Chongli district in Zhangjiakou.

But the district has been developing the sports industry in summer.

Summer events

One of the major events Chongli introduced in its ski resorts is the Spartan race, wherein competitors not only run a designated course but also face obstacles that can involve climbing and crawling.

The Asia-Pacific Championships of the Spartan race will be held from August 23 to 25, with all six disciplines, ranging from the five-kilometer sprint to the 50-kilometer endurance race, included in the weekend race at the Thaiwoo ski resort in Chongli.

"Introducing high-profile events like the Spartan race to Chongli will give a boost in summer at the ski resorts," Cao told the Global Times. "Summer events are likely to help more people get to know more about Chongli."

The Spartan race, originated in ancient Greece, was used to train and test the country's fearsome Spartan warriors who were known for their courage and endurance.

The modern version of Spartan races was introduced to China by Shanghai-based sports marketing company SECA in 2016, and the sport has grown in popularity.

The mountainous region is ideal for outdoor sports in the summer, Cao said, noting the district is also in talks with other sports bodies to have more outdoor sports events in the region.

"We are in talks with many organizers that want events in Chongli, both in summer and winter," Cao told the Global Times. 

"We are not thinking about increasing the number of events, as we are considering scaling up events which are profitable."

Olympic venues

Chongli will hold 50 Olympic events in six disciplines at the 2022 Olympics: snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon, according to the Beijing 2022 organizing committee.

Ahead of the Games, Chongli will host the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships in 2021, which are trial events for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Hosting the Winter Olympics has given Chongli great momentum to further develop its winter sports industry, as a number of winter sports-themed activities are scheduled to be held in 2019.

"The ski resorts are a key part of the development of Chongli's winter sports industry," Cao told the Global Times. "If they cannot function well, the industry will not bear fruit."

The local government has introduced policies to reduce the cost of ski resort operations, including cheaper water, electricity and gas. 

"We are also improving the infrastructure along the way to ski resorts," Cao said. "It's unfair to ask the resorts to recoup their annual costs only through selling skiing tickets during winter season."

High-speed train

A high-speed train connecting Beijing with Chongli will be launched at the end of 2019, with travel time from downtown Beijing to the ski mecca will be reduced to under an hour.

That gives another reason for Chongli to develop its winter sports industry.

"The establishment of the high-speed train later this year will bring a big crowds to Chongli for sure," said Cao. "What we need to do is make sure that flow will not create jams."

Chongli was only lifted out of national poverty in May this year. Its poverty alleviation efforts have centered on the development of tourism and photovoltaic as well as ice and snow industries. 

Once relying mainly on mining, Chongli has now switched to the service industry as the major source of its fiscal revenue, Cao noted. 

 "Quality of service is always our priority," said Cao. "We hope to bring every visitor to Chongli an unforgettable experience here."

Preparations to co-host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games has also given Chongli something beyond the growth of local government revenue.

"The pride of hosting the Olympics has driven out some bad behavior, like spitting and violating traffic rules among the citizens," Cao said. "It is something that is not easy to earn."