With the approval of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the competitions at the 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025 will consist of6 major events made up of 11sports in 64 disciplines, such as14 speed skating events, 9 short track speed skating events, 4 figure skating events, 2 ice hockey events, 3 curling events, 2 alpine skiing events, 6 cross-country skiing events, 11 freestyle skiing events, 6 snowboarding events, 4 biathlon events and 3 ski mountaineering events. Among them, mixed double curling, ski mountaineering and freestyle skiing aerials double synchronization will maketheir debuts at the Asian Winter Games.

Introduction to Sports

1.Speed Skating is an ice racing sport played with skates. It is categorized as a skating sport in international sports classification where competitors race each other over a set distance with the primary goal of speed, hence the shortened name “Speed Skating”. It is an official event in the Winter Olympics. Athletes skate on the ice using ice skates, with the blades cutting into the ice to form a stable support point. By alternately pushing off the ice with each leg, retracting the legs, placing the blade back down, and performing gliding movements, along with the coordination of the entire body, they propel themselves forward with impressive speed. The origins of Speed Skating date back to the 11th and 12th centuries in European countries such as the Netherlands, England, Switzerland, and some Scandinavian countries where early records mentioned strapping animal bones to their feet for quick movement on ice, which was the early form of skating. From the 1840s, Speed Skating quickly spread to other countries from England and the Netherlands, leading to the establishment of numerous skating clubs. In the 1870s, the demand for organised national skating associations arose. In 1879, the first national skating governing body, the National Ice Skating Association of the United Kingdom, was established. In January 1893, under the leadership of the International Skating Union (ISU), the first World Speed Skating Championships for men were held in Amsterdam. Men’s and Women’s Speed Skating were included as official Winter Olympic events in 1924 and 1960, respectively.

2.Short Track Speed Skatingis an iceracing sportheldon a shorter track. It originated in Canada, where Speed Skating enthusiasts often practised on indoor icehockeyrinks, resulting in the emergence of indoor Speed Skating competitions. In the early 20th century, Short Track Speed Skating graduallygained popularityin European and American continents. In 1975, the International Skating Union(ISU)established the Short Track Speed Skating Technical Committee. In 1981, the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were held. Short Track Speed Skating was introduced as a demonstration event in the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games. In 1992, the Albertville Olympic Winter Games officially recognised Short Track Speed Skating as anofficial event.

3.Figure Skating is anice sport where skaters use skates to drawfigureson the ice and performdifficult manoeuvressuch as jumps and spins. Judges in Figure Skating will give a combined score of up to six (6)points according to the quality of the manoeuvres and the artistic performance. Figure Skating originated in 18th-century England and quickly spread to Germany and North America. In 1892, the International Skating Union (ISU) was established in the Netherlands, where rules for this sport were formulated. In 1872, the first Figure Skating competition was held in Austria. In 1882, Austrian figure skater Frenye and his wife performed a duet on the Vienna ice rink, pioneeringpair skating. The first World Men Single Figure Skating Championshipwas held in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1896. In 1990, the Asian Skating Union (ASU) was founded.

4.Ice Hockey is a competitive team sport played on ice with skates and hockey sticks as tools, where opposing teams compete against each other. It consists of two separate events for men and women and is categorised as an independent winter sport in international sports classification. Ice Hockey emerged later than sports like football, field hockey, and speed skating. Modern Ice Hockey originated in Canada, where a British student William Fleet Robertson, a skilled ice skater, studied and played field hockey he learned in England on the ice with elements of lacrosse, thus creating a new sport called Ice Hockey in 1783. The first recorded Ice Hockey competition took place on 3 March 1875, at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, Canada. In 1910, the first Ice Hockey European Championships were held. In 1920, Ice Hockey was introduced to the 7th Olympic Games as an official event. In 1924, the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, with the Canadian team winning the first gold medal in Ice Hockey. In 1988, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decided to regularly hold the Ice Hockey World Championships for women, starting in 1990. In 1993, the IOC decided to include Women’s Ice Hockey as an official event in the Winter Olympics, starting from 1998. Key international organisations for Ice Hockey include the National Hockey League (NHL) founded in Montreal, Canada, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) established in Paris, France on 15 March 1908, with its current headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

5.Curling, also known as ice curling or stone curling, is a competitive sport played on ice, where teams take turns throwing stones across the ice curling sheet toward the house. It is often referred to as "chess on ice" due to the strategic and intellectual demands of the game, which tests both physical and mental skills, showcasing the beauty of dynamics. It is recognised as an official Winter Olympic event. Curling originated in the 14th-century Scotland. In 1795, the first Curling club was established in Scotland. In 1927, Canada held the first national Curling competition. In 1955, Curling was introduced to Asia. It was considered a demonstration event in the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and officially became an official event in the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games. The World Curling Federation (WCF), established on 1 April 1966 in the United Kingdom, is the highest governing body of the sport.

6.Alpine Skiing is a snow racing sport that involves skiing down a mountain slope along a course marked by gates, using skis, ski boots, bindings, and ski poles as the main equipment. It originated in the mountainous terrain of the Alps, hence its name “Alpine Skiing.” Alpine Skiing evolved from cross-country skiing and is considered a branch of snow sports. It is generally believed that Alpine Skiing took shape in 1907 when the first Alpine Skiing organisation, the “Alpine Ski Club,” was founded. In the 1920s, Alpine Skiing competitions began to be held in the Alpine region, and various Alpine Skiing schools were established. In 1936, Alpine Skiing was listed as an official event in the Winter Olympics. Alpine Skiing is an integral part of snow sports recognised by the International Ski Federation (ISF), which was established in 1924 and organises events such as the Alpine World Ski Championships.

7.Cross-Country Skiing is a sport where skiers traverse snow-covered hills or terrains utilising skiing equipment and basic techniques such as climbing, descending, turning, and gliding. It originated in the Nordic regions, also known as Nordic skiing, and is one of the oldest sports in world history. It was first included as an official event in Chamonix 1924. The Men’s Cross-country World Cup Championship was successfully held in the 1973-1974 season, while the Women’s Cross-country World Cup Championship began in the 1978-1979 season. The International Ski Federation (ISF) founded on 2 February 1924 in Chamonix, France serves as the highest governing body of cross-country skiing; and domestically, the China Ski Association established in 1981 represents the leading authority.

8.Biathlon, a snow sport and an official Winter Olympic event, combines cross-country skiing and shooting. It requires players to have the ability to transition from movement to stillness and vice versa. Biathlon originated in Norway and is related to winter hunting activities, integrating skiing and shooting skills. Biathlon was featured as a demonstration event at the Winter Olympics in 1924, 1928, 1936, and 1948. The first Biathlon World Championships (BWCH) were held in 1958, and in 1960 it made its debut as an official event at the Winter Olympics, named Modern Biathlon. World championships for women were inaugurated in 1984, and Women’s Biathlon was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1992 at the 16th Olympic Winter Games in Albertville. The men’s 15 km mass start and 12.5 km mass start events both made their debut in Turin 2006. The International Biathlon Union (IBU), established in 1993 with its headquarters situated in Austria, is the highest governing body of Biathlon.

9.Freestyle Skiing

（1）Freestyle Skiing Aerials, a captivating snow sports event, is an event of freestyle skiing. Athletes are required to complete a series of technical manoeuvre‌s within a specified time frame, showcasing their skills and individual styles to both the spectators and judges. This event requires athletes to demonstrate various flips and spins while airborne, and judges score based on the height, difficulty, execution quality, and landing posture. Freestyle Skiing Aerials originated in the 1960s in the United States and became an official Winter Olympic event in 1992.

（2）Freeski Halfpipe is a snow sports event where athletes use twin skis to perform a series of tricks on a U-shaped course. It was officially included as an event of freestyle skiing in Sochi 2014 and stands as a recent addition to the Winter Olympics. The event takes place in a U-shape structure, known as a halfpipe, characterised by a wide, flat bottom flanked by concave slopes on both sides, resembling a quarter of a circular tube. The wide bottom is designed to help athletes regain balance and prepare for the next trick. In one round of competition, athletes typically perform five (5) to six (6) tricks within the halfpipe, and are scored based on the height of their aerial moves, the degree of rotations, the fluidity, and the overall visual appeal of their performances.

（3）Freeski Big Air debuted in Beijing 2022. Known for its strong dynamic visuals, Freeski Big Air is the youngest event in the Winter Olympics. It originated from snowboard and later expanded to freestyle skiing. Although freestyle skiing has a longer history than snowboarding, in the Big Air event, snowboarding developed much earlier. Men’s Snowboard Big Air appeared in the World Championships in 2003, but Men’s Freeski Big Air didn’t enter the World Championships until 2019. The introduction of Snowboard Big Air into the Winter Olympics also predated that of Freeski Big Air. Snowboard Big Air made its debut at Pyeongchang 2018, and Big Air is essentially an enlarged version of slopestyle, prompting many athletes to practise both.

（4）Free Ski Slopestyle will be held on a course with a variety of hits, jumps, rails, tables, etc. Athletes need to choose an appropriate route to perform stunts across various terrains, including flies, jumps, flips, spins, unlike Big Air, which focuses on the difficulty of a single trick. Slopestyle requires athletes to demonstrate a combination of skills and creativity across multiple obstacles. Freeski Slopestyle originated in the mid-20th century US as a recreational activity. As the sport developed, it gradually became part of international competitions and made its Olympic debut at Sochi 2014.

10.Snowboard

（1）Snowboard Halfpipe is an event where athletes perform aerial tricks while gliding, jumping and spinning within a sloped, half-tube-shaped course. This type of slope is similar in shape to the English letter “U,” hence its name. The U-shaped track is usually 150-170 metres long, 19-22 metres wide, with a depth of 6.7 metres and a slope of 17-18 degrees. Skiers showcase their best performances through two runs, and referees score them based on the overall execution, including height, spins, techniques, difficulty, etc. Snowboard originated in the 1960s in Michigan, the United States, initially as a recreational activity. As the sport evolved, it gradually became part of international competitions and became an Olympic event in Nagano 1998.

（2）In Snowboard Big Air, skiers descend a steep slope and launch off a large jump to perform aerial flips, spins, and other tricks. It became an official event at the Winter Olympics in 1998. The Big Air stadium comprises four parts: the run-in area, the take-off ramp, the landing slope, and the finish area. Typically, the preliminaries adopt the “Two-run best” rule, where the highest score out of the two runs determines the ranking, while the finals adopt the “Three-run best” rule, where the highest two out of three runs determine the ranking.

（3）Snowboard Slopestyle is a highly spectacular and challenging winter sports event combining speed, techniques, and aerial manoeuvre‌s. Skiers are required to perform tricks and jumps on a course that features multiple obstacles. Each course is uniquely designed, testing competitors’ adaptability. The technical characteristics of Snowboard Slopestyle skills are mainly reflected in the athlete's ability to demonstrate their creativity and skill by performing flying, jumping, flipping, and spinning tricks over a variety of obstacles. Because each course is one-of-a-kind, athletes must be quick-thinking and highly skilled to adapt.

11.Ski mountaineering is an outdoor winter sport that primarily focuses on comprehensive snow mountain climbing techniques, supplemented by skiing skills. Participants are required to have strong physical fitness, expertise in snow mountain climbing, and a solid foundation in skiing. Ski mountaineering used as an official event in four Winter Olympics in 1924, 1928, 1936, and 1948. In April 2014, the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) became a provisional member organisation of the IOC, and after two years of efforts, was recognised as a full member in August 2016. The ISMF has been striving to gain recognition from the IOC and hopes that ski mountaineering will eventually become an official event at the Winter Olympics. On 10 July 2017, the ISMF announced that ski mountaineering had been included as an official event in Lausanne 2020. On 20 July, the IOC’s 138th Session decided that Ski Mountaineering would be an official event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.