Advancing civilisation, friendship through winter sports
The quest for sustainable inclusion of critical mass of people in advancing human civilisation through winter sports has continued to attract attention from world leaders, sport enthusiasts and diplomats globally.
Their interest hinge on the fact that winter sports has become veritable platform for attracting people across various culture, religion, ethnic and political background towards advancing human civilization.
The leaders, sports enthusiasts and diplomats spoke against backdrop of the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games (AWG) which held from February 3 to February 14, in Harbin, China.
Although the sports have been held consistently every four years since the inception in 1986, some analysts opined that the 9th edition of the AWG under the theme “Dream of winter, love among Asia” embodied the shared aspiration and desire of the Asian people for peace, development and friendship.
Those who spoke on the subject said this year’s edition marked deviation from the past since the inception in 1986 in Sapporo, Japan, a city with infrastructure and expertise gained from hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics.
They extolled the AWG to have attracted largest participating contingents so far, with not less than 1275 athletes from 34 countries in 64 events across 11 sports.
The AWG is an international multi-sport platform for members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), brings people together from across Asian countries to engage in the sports competition.
Also, such engagement is very essential for the promotion of physical well being, psychological social well being, reduces social inequality and helps to increase of social mobility.
It also promotes mutual understanding among peoples in managing climate change, reinvigorating Western liberalism and globalisation, long-term government, corporate and consumer debt, as well as creating effective personalised education.
The winter games provides a platform for fostering unity, friendship and excellence not just through winter sports as Asia’s premier multi-sport event, also it advances inclusivity among athletes from across the continent.
The game provides platforms for athletes to come together and compete at the highest level, showcasing skill, determination and sportsmanship.
The AWG events include Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Curling, Figure skating, Freestyle skiing, Ice hockey, short track speed skating, Ski jumping, Snowboarding and Speed skating among other things.
In his address at the banquet for the event, Chinese President, Xi Jinping called for inclusiveness, coexistence and mutual learning to advance human civilization.
Xi, while officially declaring the Games open in the presence of 8,000 spectators at the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre and other visiting dignitaries.
The audience included International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, described the AWG as key to advancing human civilisation.
Xi said: “The cauldron of the ninth AWG will be lit tonight. From the Olympic Winter Games Beijing to the Asian Winter Games Harbin, the passion in China for ice and snow has swept across the nation.
“It has also invigorated winter sports globally. The current AWG sets a new record in its history in the numbers of participating countries, regions and athletes.
“I believe with the joint efforts of the Olympic Council of Asia and delegations from all participating countries and regions, Harbin will present to the world a great sports event that is distinctly Chinese.
“Also, uniquely Asian and spectacular, thus writing new magnificent chapter of ice and snow sports; we should uphold our shared dream for tranquillity and harmony. Peace is as pure as ice and snow.
“No matter how the international landscape evolves, we should join hands together to meet all kinds of security challenges and contribute Asian strength to building an equal and orderly multipolar world.”
Xi’s statement entails Winter sports not only require passion and collaborative culture, also partnership to promote progress and development, and provide sustained drive for beneficial economic and inclusive cultural growth globally.
This, according to, Gao Zhidan, President, Harbin AWG Organising Committee and President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, says winter sports is a vehicle to fulfill shared desire for friendship and affinity.
According to him, every snowflake is unique and every civilisation is distinctive, so Asia through the AWG has become a convergence of the world’s diverse civilizations.
“We should promote inclusiveness, coexistence and mutual learning, and contribute more to the development and progress of human civilization.
“Let us embrace Asia, where we are working hand in hand to open up broader prospects for common development, openness and integration, and build an Asian community with a shared future,” he said.
For his part, Husain Al Musallam, Director-General, Olympic Council of Asia, said it took less than two years to prepare for the 9th AWG.
“They have prepared the city; they have prepared the facilities and they have prepared all the games requirements in a very short time and in a very professional way.
“The OCA was pleased that winter sports had grown considerably since the first AWG in Sapporo, Japan in 1986 to become very popular in the continent of Asia.
“From west to the east and from north to the south, now more and more youth are engaged in the winter sports,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Song Luzeng, OCA Vice-President and Chair of the OCA Sports Committee, expressed the hope that the AWG would continue to flourish as platform for advancing civilisation across Asia.
“I can assure you that preparations for the Asian Winter Games in 2029 in Saudi Arabia and in West Asia for the first time are going well, on time, well prepared and on the right track.
“This will increase the popularity of winter sports in the Middle East” Song said.
Analysts agree that winter sports can be used as tool to promote unity in diversity, encourage skills development in sports and bolster the community shared future on international landscape.
They also believe the AWG can serve as platform to turn around the fortunes of not just athletes, but the Asian continent through sports.
SOURCE: Halima Sheji, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
