Athletes' parade begins at Harbin Asian Winter Games opening ceremony
Updated: February 7, 2025 20:54Xinhua
Delegation of China parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
HARBIN, Feb. 7 -- The parade of athletes at the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin has begun on Friday evening.
Participating delegations enter the stage in alphabetical order at the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Center.
Host China will enter the ceremony last, with star speed skater Ning Zhongyan and young freeskier Liu Mengting being the delegation's flag-bearers.
Over 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia will compete in the Games, making this edition the largest in terms of participating delegations and athletes.
Teams like Cambodia and Saudi Arabia are set to make their Asian Winter Games debuts. The next edition in 2029 will be staged in Trojena, Saudi Arabia, marking the first time the continental event will be staged in West Asia.
The Harbin Asian Winter Games, which serves as a valuable training opportunity for Asian countries and regions ahead of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, will take place from February 7 to 14. The first gold will be decided on Saturday.
Delegation of China parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of China parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of China parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Qatar parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of China's Hong Kong parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of China's Macao parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Japan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of South Korea parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Mongolia parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Turkmenistan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Saudi Arabia parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Uzbekistan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Singapore parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Thailand parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Tajikistan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Nepal parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of the Philippines parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Pakistan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Sri Lanka parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Chinese Taipei parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Bahrain parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Bhutan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Cambodia parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Iran parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Kyrgyzstan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Jordan parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of United Arab Emirates parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Malaysia parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Vietnam parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
Delegation of Kuwait parade during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
