Hebei launches program to popularize winter sports

Sports and educational authorities in North China's Hebei province started a program on Wednesday in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang to train over a hundred physical education teachers from primary and middle schools across the province in winter sports.

The three-day training course will cover the development status and prospect of the country's winter sports, the introduction on events of Winter Olympics, the exhibition of winter sports classes and related books, according to Hebei Provincial Bureau of Sports.

After the PE teachers return to school with the knowledge, they will pass it on to their students and students' parents until April.

Apart from the training, some temporary courses to teach skiing will also be introduced to schools, and activities will be held for youngsters to firsthand experience winter sports.

The program is part of plans of the Hebei Provincial Bureau of Sports to popularize winter sports among the public and to inspire the masses' eager to participate in related events.

Educational bureaus of different places in the province will accelerate to create winter sports classes in schools.

As the first of its kind in Hebei and also in the country, Zhangjiakou University has introduced a compulsory skiing course for freshmen as a substitute for physical education lessons to cultivate more talent for the Olympics.

The university is about 50 kilometers from Chongli district in Zhangjiakou city, where most of the snow events for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will be held.