The heat is on

Led by a strong field of Olympic and world champions, China's ice and snow sports contingent is primed to do the country proud, while testing its Olympic medal credentials at the Asian Winter Games.

Fast approaching, and expected to be a "dress rehearsal" for the next Winter Olympics, the 9th Asian Winter Games will open in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, on Feb 7. They are expected to bear witness to heated battles for continental supremacy on ice and snow, as Chinese athletes rev up their preparations for Milan-Cortina 2026.

The Games in Harbin will mark the biggest representation of Asian countries and regions, with 34 National Olympic Committees — the most in history — having confirmed their entries.

A total of 64 medal events across six sports will be competed at five ice sports venues in downtown Harbin, and eight other venues for all the snow events in Yabuli, a ski resort cluster about 200 kilometers to the southeast of the city.

Among the events making their debut on the continental gala's official medal program will be mixed doubles curling, ski mountaineering and the freestyle skiing discipline of synchronized aerials, according to the latest Olympic program for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

Leading the host's charge on ice will be its highly decorated short-track speed skating squad, which has contributed 12 Olympic gold medals to China's all-time haul of 22 since 1980, with the sport's other world powerhouse — the Republic of Korea — raring to spoil the host's party and deliver a fruitful campaign of its own.