Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, will host a national youth winter sports competition from Jan 28 to Feb 1, featuring figure skating, speed skating, 3-on-3 ice hockey, snowboard slalom and cross-country skiing.

The competition has been organized under the "Happy Run" initiative, a nationwide fitness program for children and adolescents launched in 2021 by the General Administration of Sport of China, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other institutions.

At a news conference in Urumqi on Jan 8, Jiang Qingguo, deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China's youth sports division, said 862 young athletes and 140 coaches from across the country have registered for the event.

Xinjiang has stepped up efforts in recent years to promote winter sports. Aert, director of the regional sports bureau, said the competition is expected to showcase Xinjiang's sports facilities and services while boosting winter tourism, sports training and equipment sales.

A growing number of young people are taking part in winter sports, Aert said. According to local cultural and tourism authorities, during the region's first-ever "snow break" for primary and secondary school students from Dec 1 to 5, Urumqi's six major ski resorts recorded some 61,000 free student visits. The Silkroad Mountain Resort received as many as 20,000 visits per day, with nighttime attendance doubling from previous periods. In Altay prefecture, major ski resorts saw more than 21,000 student visits, with about 16,000 students taking skiing or snowboarding lessons.

Aert said Xinjiang has expanded youth sports training at schools, with 213 schools designated for winter sports specialties. Among them is Miaoergou Middle School in Shuixigou town, Urumqi county, which has run Xinjiang's first regular high school winter sports specialty class since 2024.

The program enrolls 72 students across two cohorts who split their days between standard high school coursework and systematic training in speed skating, ice hockey, alpine skiing and snowboarding, as well as cross-country skiing. Six students are currently training with regional professional teams.

Gu Xinxiang, the school's vice-principal, said the program allows students to balance academic studies with professional training, an approach welcomed by both students and parents.

Bi Xihao, a 15-year-old student at the school, trains with the Xinjiang speed skating team. In just over a year, he has reduced his 500-meter time from 41 seconds to 37.8 seconds. Based full-time at the Xinjiang Winter Sports Training Center in Shuixigou town, he attends online evening classes in mathematics and English, and studies history and Chinese language and literature independently.

Born and raised in Xinjiang's Karamay, Bi began roller skating in primary school before switching to ice skating. His family once debated whether he should attend a regular high school to prepare for the national college entrance examination or pursue an athletic career. Enrollment in the winter sports specialty class resolved the dilemma, allowing him to pursue both.

Situated at 1,650 meters above sea level, the Xinjiang Winter Sports Training Center is one of the world's highest-altitude ice rinks. Li Shunyi, deputy director of the center's venue management office, said the rink features low-friction ice with precision controlled hardness and temperature. Combined with the subplateau environment and dry climate, the conditions create an ideal training setting.

Han Fang, a coach with the Xinjiang speed skating team, said the center's location and advanced facilities help athletes perform at a high level, as demonstrated in past national competitions. She added that three athletes from the team are currently training with the national team for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.