China Education Television (CETV):

As the 100-day countdown to the Asian Winter Games begins, there is growing public interest in the volunteer services. What is the composition of volunteers for the Asian Winter Games? How is the current volunteer testing and training going? Thank you.

Zhang Haihua:

Thank you for your questions. A total of 100,000 people worldwide registered to be volunteers in next year's Games and 6,000 volunteers were chosen after several tests. Regarding personnel composition, volunteers are college students mainly from Heilongjiang and 21 other provinces and regions, including Hong Kong and Macao. There are also 400 overseas students coming from 22 different countries. A quarter of these volunteers have previously taken part in other international sports gatherings, with many senior ones having participated in the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the Paris Summer Olympic Games. Nearly 500 volunteers have relevant skiing skills. Specialized volunteers will serve in 35 sectors such as medical and health care, information services and media services.

With a focus on practical application, we have developed 50 courses, such as competition services and etiquette guidelines for award ceremonies, as well as over 100 various training sessions covering general knowledge and specialty skills. During the recently concluded Heads of Delegation Conference, the 2024 National Men's Ice Hockey Championship and the National U18 Women's Ice Hockey Championship, all participating volunteers provided professional and thoughtful services and showcased the vigorous image of Chinese youth, earning praise from the Olympic Council of Asia, foreign delegations and all sectors of society.

In 12 future test events, we will carry out comprehensive training and testing during the entire process to improve volunteers' practical capabilities. In July, a voluntary service campaign themed "Dream of Winter, Together We Volunteer" was initiated in Harbin, providing 280 kinds of services including traffic facilitation, scenic spot introductions and convenience services in urban areas such as traffic stations, tourist attractions, and cultural venues. Over 20,000 volunteers have already been recruited in the city.

"Welcome Asian Winter Games with Passion, Warm the World with Ice and Snow." When the Games kick off, it will also be the time for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival to welcome visitors from all over the world. At that time, every resident in Harbin will become a volunteer. Here, we sincerely invite all media friends to make an appointment with the Games and Harbin. Welcomed by our sincere, warm and thoughtful services, you will experience the speed and charm of winter sports as well as feel the temperature, warmth and gentleness of our city.