Female Chinese players react after two of their players received penalties. (Photo : Getty Images Sport)
The city of Qiqihar in the province of Heilongjiang, China will conduct the inaugural Ice Hockey Festival, attracting enthusiasts to the game and laying a solid foundation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
The festival, which will run for two months, features international ice hockey games from the Asian League Ice Hockey and International Youth Tournament, along with cultural shows and fun activities such as tug of war on ice and snow soccer.
The President of the Chinese Ice Hockey Association (CKA) Zhao Yinggang said that the atmosphere will trigger the enthusiasm for winter sports and the Winter Olympic Games.
Qiqihar, dubbed the "Best Ice Hockey City in Asia" in 2015 by the Asian Ice Hockey Federation, established its own ice hockey team in 1954, which has won the national and league championships more than 30 times.
Furthermore, the newest franchise of the Russian-based KHL, is China-based Kunlun Red Star. It has four Chinese skaters and one goalie on its roster, including Rudi Ying and Zach Yuen, who have average playing times of three and 12 minutes per game, respectively.
Ying believes that lack of skill is not the problem, but in the way the Chinese see the game, the way they play it, and the way the game comes to them.
The country is training to be a hockey heavyweight. In the 2022 Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing, China, the country will get to field squads ice hockey tournaments for both the men's and women's.
China will have more than 400 full-sized ice hockey rinks by 2020 that will serve the growing number of children from affluent families who may be interested in the sport.
IOC member Yang Yang said that in some districts every child would be required to learn skiing or skating, thereby boosting the number of future ice hockey players.
Ice hockey has mainly attracted the middle-aged and teenagers in China.
