Photo: Xinhua

The FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup will be staged in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province for the first time, according to a launch event for the 2025-26 Shenyang ice and snow competitions on Sunday. The introduction of FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) competitions marks a breakthrough for Liaoning Province, filling a long-standing gap in hosting top-tier international winter sports events. 

This winter, the city will host a total of 18 ice and snow sporting events at various levels. The move is a key step by Liaoning to capitalize on its role as the host of the 15th National Winter Games to transform its "cold" ice-and-snow resources into a "hot" economic sector, according to the event organizers.

"The significance of an FIS event landing in Shenyang goes far beyond adding a single high-profile competition," Guan Yifeng, a Liaoning-based professional skier and ski coach, told the Global Times on Sunday. "It effectively completes a crucial piece of the puzzle for winter sports development in Northeast China, connecting with the international competition system."

Guan noted that while Liaoning has long enjoyed solid ice-and-snow resources and broad public participation, it has lacked top-level events, leaving young athletes with more training opportunities than chances to watch elite competitions up close.

"With world-class events coming to their doorstep, athletes can broaden their horizons, while venues, event operations and commercial services are all pushed to upgrade," he said. "This is essential for turning ice and snow sports from seasonal consumption into a sustainable and long-term industry."

Beyond competitive events, Shenyang will also roll out a range of winter activities this season, including national championships, a winter swimming invitational, and traditional folk events such as ice fishing festivals, according to the event organizers.

These efforts aim to build an integrated ice and snow industry chain combining competitive sports, leisure activities and folk culture, positioning Shenyang as a core engine of the regional winter ice-and-snow economy, according to the China News Service.

"China's potential for winter sports development is enormous, especially following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which inspired a growing number of young people to take up and develop a passion for winter sports," Liu Jiayu, a four-time Winter Olympics veteran and Snowboard World Championships gold medalist, told the Global Times.

Alongside top-tier winter sports competitions, a citywide snow soccer series was also launched in Shenyang on Sunday. The Snow Soccer Series will, for the first time, establish a strategic partnership and engage in in-depth interaction with another village super league within the Liaoning Snow Soccer Initiative.

According to event organizers, the tournament will adopt a double round-robin "home-and-away" format, offering a more grassroots, high-energy rural snow soccer experience.

From introducing international competitions to rolling out distinctive local winter activities across different cities, Liaoning is shaping a diversified and complementary ice-and-snow industry development paradigm. As preparations for the 15th National Winter Games in 2028 continue to advance, the province will further integrate ice-and-snow resources with hot springs and folk culture, fostering the ice-and-snow economy as a new growth driver for regional development, according to the China News Service.

"For enthusiasts like me, what really matters is whether these events change how the city uses winter," Guan said. "If venues stay active, young athletes get more exposure, and ordinary people have more ways to participate, then ice and snow sports will no longer be tied to a single season or a single event."