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Pakistan may turn snow into silver to popularize ice hockey
February 05, 2022
BEIJING, Feb. 5 (INP): Pakistan may turn snow into silver to popularize ice hockey, particularly in its Northern region, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Saturday.
As Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics started, more and more people know and pay attention to ice hockey, gradually forming a group of about 20,000 hockey fans.
As a country without a tradition of ice and snow sports, China now has more than 346 million winter sports fans, which exceed the total population of most countries in the world.
China’s goal of engaging 300 million people in winter sports has become a reality, according to a recent report released by the General Administration of Sport of China.
As of October 2021, the participation rate of Chinese residents in ice and snow sports was 24.56%.
Will China's huge Winter Olympic dividend benefit Pakistan? Is Pakistan ready to turn ‘snow’ into ‘silver’?
In recent years, Pakistan has built a highway to the ski resort Swat Valley, and the local hotel industry has ushered in a peak season. The opening of Skardu International Airport in northern Pakistan at the end of last year is expected to attract more domestic and foreign tourists.
Pakistan's ski resorts are mainly concentrated in the northern region, while the southern provinces are hot and arid with almost no snow, so how to promote ice and snow sports in these areas?
Interestingly, in China, ice and snow resources are mainly concentrated in the northern region, while most of the tourists come from the south.
According to data from a tourism platform, in 2020-2021 snow season, there are 9 southern cities among the top ten tourist source cities for ice and snow tourism.
During the pre-sale period of the 2021 Singles' Day shopping spree, people in Guangdong, which has one of the highest average temperatures in China with the annual temperature around 20 degrees Celsius, saw an 87 percent year-on-year increase in sales of ski sports products. Why did the snow-less cities in south China stand out in the ice economy?
People in south China have a natural love for ice and snow, that is why China has the world's largest number of indoor ski resort. Southerners' obsession with indoor skating, curling and even VR ski machines has also provided new ideas for Pakistan.
In the ice and snow industrial park in Chongli, the reporter saw a new thing: it looks like a carpet made of mushrooms, and it will not deform when stepped on. Pan Ruqun, manager of Zhangjiakou Jingxi Sports Equipment Co., Ltd., told us that this is a dry snow blanket, which can be used to simulate snow tracks for skiing by laying it on the slope.
"According to the instructions of 300 million people to go on ice and snow, we have promoted this invention in primary and secondary schools in China. Children can practice skiing in normal physical education classes, and regardless of the season, the most important thing is that the cost is extremely low."
When visiting the factory, reporter found something interesting. This gadget would make it possible to ski even where there is no snow. “Designed for snow-free areas, these carpets have been popularized in primary and secondary schools in China’s Hebei Province, allowing students to simulate skiing in summer. It’s not expensive and is very suitable for promotion in Pakistan,” said Pan Ruqun, Manager of Zhangjiakou Jingxi Sports Equipment Co., Ltd.
How about China's ice and snow economic size? Ice and Snow Tourism Development Report showed that the total scale of China's ice and snow industry has reached RMB 600 billion in 2020. The figure is expected to reach RMB 1 trillion by 2025. The real wealth is in skiing companion including helmets, snow gear, snow suits and even sports cameras.
Last year JD.com saw 270% increase in snowsuit orders and six times increase in snowboard orders in the 24-hour event of Double 11 carnival. In 2021, the turnover of ice and snow sports related products on JD.com increased by 120% year-on-year.
Among them, the turnover of snowboards increased by more than 220%, ski suits increased by 180%, and ski boots increased by 200%.
The price of snowboard ranges from several hundred to thousands yuan, and some imported ones cost more than RMB 10,000. The price of a VR ski machine in the shopping mall is more than RMB 30,000, and the price of a single experience is RMB 50, making a considerable profit.
Pan started making snowboards 20 years ago, and he has witnessed the process of products from export to domestic sales in recent years. With the Winter Olympics approaching, he once sold thousands of snowboards a day. Pan told the reporter that the snowboards they produced before were mainly aimed at professional players in Europe and the United States, and the price was relatively high.
Driven by the ice and snow sports boom in recent years, they have produced many entry-level snowboards to supply markets in China, Pakistan, Southeast Asia and other countries. "A few days ago, we have shipped three containers of snowboard to Pakistan."
In his view, affordable prices are the prerequisite for developing ice and snow sports, and it also provides ideas for developing countries to promote winter sports.
While Wang suggested Pakistan buy snowmaking machine and other facilities from China, which cost less than half the price of similar products in Europe and the United States. At the same time, the windproof net made in China has been officially certified by the International Olympic Committee.
The net used in the Olympic Games is independently developed by China and has met the requirements of the International Ski Federation for wind proofing. Its cost is much lower than that of products from European and American countries.
Sports festival would invite more tourists to Pakistan’s scenic Gilgit-Baltistan region that attracted around two million local and foreign tourists in 2019, addressed Pakistan President Arif Alvi at the concluding ceremony of Winter Sports Festival in the ski resort town of Naltar.
China has rich experience in hosting large-scale winter sports events, and there is a promising space for cooperation between Pakistan and China in promoting winter events and promoting the development of ice and snow economy.
Tian believes that equipment and suits producers will benefit from the surrounding winter sports industry and the Winter Olympic Games.
For example, during and after the Games, the utilization of venues will be good as there is the exhibition economy, forum economy, and tourism economy. These will form an agglomeration effect as a whole.
At present, the ice and snow economy in both China and Pakistan is still in the initial stage of development. As the father watching his child playing ice hockey said, "The child is still young. Whether he wants to do this in the future depends on his own efforts."
INP/javed
