HARBIN: China topped the final medal table at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin with a record haul on Friday but its delegation’s head stressed the need for improvement if the country is to be competitive at the highest level.

The hosts won 32 golds — double the tally of nearest challengers South Korea — 27 silvers and 26 bronze to set a new medal-winning record at the end of the eight-day event.

Even so, Zhou Jinqiang, head of China’s delegation at the Games and vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, called on athletes to raise standards ahead of the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo next year.

“While China’s performance at the AWG was impressive, it still lags behind global standards in winter sports, with notable gaps in training, talent development, and the establishment of robust coaching and youth systems,” Xinhua quoted him as saying.

In addition to clocking up a record-breaking total medal tally, China’s gold medal haul equalled that achieved by Kazakhstan in 2011.

Nineteen of China’s wins came in snow sports, the first time those disciplines delivered more victories than ice sports for Chinese athletes.

“This shift highlights the comprehensive development of China’s winter sports since the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics,” Zhou said.

Ski mountaineering made its Winter Asiad debut, a year before the sport will run for the first time at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

China promptly won all nine available medals.

China also enjoyed success in speed skating and swept the women’s freeski golds despite missing Beijing Olympics hero Eileen Gu, who withdrew days before the Games with injury.

South Korea’s world-class skaters came out on top in short track, winning two-thirds of the golds in the sport.

Japan finished third in the medal table, which featured only nine of the 34 participating nations.

Kazakhstan won four gold medals to finish fourth while the Philippines claimed their first Asian Winter Games title, securing gold in the men’s curling with victory over South Korea on Friday.

“This is a great achievement that opens the door for our country’s first Winter Olympics medal,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino.

Tightly rehearsed dancers and a digital symphony orchestra kicked off Friday’s closing ceremony before athletes entered the 10,000-capacity stadium waving flags and snapping selfies.

A huge screen displayed images of futuristic ski slopes and the words “See you in Saudi Arabia”, the next Asian Winter Games hosts, and a logo for “Neom 2029”.

Saudi Arabia were at the Games for the first time, ahead of the desert kingdom hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

Their eight-athlete team did not win a medal in either of their two events: men’s curling and alpine skiing.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2025