Snowboarding competitions of the 2nd National Youth Games opened on Monday in the city of Datong in north China's Shanxi Province. Over one hundred teenagers from across the country are taking part in the exciting sport at Wanlong Baiden Mountain International Ski Resort in Datong.
Besides competitors from national physical education schools, the National Youth Games have for the first time invited many from the social skiing clubs.
A total of 65 teenage girls, nearly half of the total competitors, compete in the four-day-long event in Datong. /CGTN Photo
The competitions last for four days and are apart of the Parallel Giant Slalom. All teen competitors are under the age of 19-years-old. It's the first time for many of them to join the national event.
Peng Yuexi, who competed in the male group said: "This was my first time taking part in a competition. I felt a bit nervous but also excited."
Yao Yutong,16, said she also felt quite excited, "Because this was my first snowboarding competition of the year. It was also the first time for many teenage snowboarders to get together and compete."
Champion Yu Yang (L) studies at the Datong Sports School and started to play snowboarding two years ago. /CGTN Photo
Yu Yang,17, and Ban Xuefu,16, grabbed the gold medals at Monday morning's races. The four-day event will produce a total of eight gold medals.
Champion Ban Xuefu (R) from the Shanxi Taiyuan Sports School speaks about how he started to play snowboarding three years ago. /CGTN Photo
In 2013, Chinese officials changed the National City Games to the First National Youth Games. The move was seen as an integral part of China's Olympic strategy and aimed to boost sports training among teenagers.
Datong's snowboarding competition is the first time that the National Youth Games in China have served as the official launch for the winter events. Officials thus hope more youngsters take part in ice and snow sports ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics that will be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
Chinese snowboarder Liu Jiayu (R) celebrates her silver medal with other medalists during the snowboard ladies' halfpipe event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, February 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
Snowboarding originated in the U.S. in the 1960s, but China didn't list it as an official sport until 2003. It has won over many fans since and fostered some talent. However, several young Chinese snowboarders have already won medals at many international events.
Liu Jiayu, born in 1992, competes during the snowboard ladies' halfpipe event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, February 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
And the sport has attracted an increasing number of enthusiasts in recent years. Zeng Ming, Deputy General Manager of the Datong Wanlong Baideng Mountain International Ski Resort, has seen the change.
"Years ago, there were only a small number of snowboarders in China one of them for every ten skiers. But since 2010, the number grew as more young people took to the sport. Now in our ski resort, snowboarders account for half of all skiers," he said.