Harbin, Northeast China, officially opened the IX Asian Winter Games on February 7, 2025.
Under the slogan “Winter Dream, Love in Asia,” these Games have drawn a record 1,275 athletes (755 men and 520 women) representing 34 nations. A total of 64 sets of medals in 11 sports will be awarded at the Games, which run until 14 February.
The Games’ mascots, the adorable Northeast tigers Binbin and Nini, embody the spirit of the event. Binbin, representing ice sports, is depicted skating joyfully in a winter tracksuit, red scarf, and blue mittens. Nini, representing snow sports, is shown snowboarding while wearing a traditional Chinese red padded jacket with a fur collar. These playful mascots are modeled after twin tiger cubs born in September 2023 at the Northeast Tiger Park in Heilongjiang Province. Their names, “Binbin” (from “Harbin”) and “Nini” (“You”), together convey the message “Harbin welcomes you.”
This marks the third time China has hosted the Asian Winter Games, following previous events in Harbin (1996) and Changchun (2007).
Due to Harbin’s low temperatures and high humidity, the opening ceremony was held indoors at the Harbin International Exhibition and Sports Center, welcoming approximately 8,000 spectators. The highlight of the ceremony was the lighting of the cauldron, shaped like a lilac flower, by four torchbearers and children at Harbin Ice and Snow World, the world’s largest ice and snow theme park.
Turkmenistan’s delegation, led by flag bearer and national hockey team player Dovlet Khidyrov, is participating in the Winter Asian Games for the second time.
Turkmen athletes compete in three sports – ice hockey, as well as for the first time in short track and figure skating.///nCa, 10 February 2025 (photo – Xinhua)