Ning, Liu named as China's flagbearers at Asian Winter Games opening ceremony

Speed skater Ning Zhongyan and freestyle skier Liu Mengting were named on Wednesday as the Chinese delegation's flagbearers for the opening ceremony of the ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Ning made history multiple times in recent years. He became the first Chinese speed skater to win the men's 1,500-meter gold medal at the International Skating Union (ISU) Speed Skating World Cup while breaking the track record of the event in Astana, Kazakhstan, in December 2019. Two years later, Ning made himself the first Chinese men's 1,000-meter champion in any international competition by winning the title at the ISU World Cup in Calgary, Canada.

Liu made it to the podium at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Freestyle Ski World Cup for the first time in March 2024 as the women's big air silver medalist in Tignes, France. Then in January, she claimed the title of the event at the World Cup in Klagenfurt, Austria.

The opening ceremony of the Asian Winter Games is scheduled to take place on Friday.