Cool Talent: China sees huge demand for winter sports talent

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There's a huge demand for winter sports athletes in China right now. The country is hoping to increase the number of people engaging in winter sports over the next few years. Much of the sudden interest stems from the highly anticipated hosting of the Winter Olympics. ZHENG CHUNYING has the story.

Engaging in winter sports, for many children in China, this is now a major part of life. Since Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Games, China's Ministry of Education and General Administration of Sport have been urging primary and secondary schools to add winter sports to their curricula.

PARENT "I take my child for skate training every week. Now I think every student in Harbin is learning how to skate."

Children are not the only target in the country's promotion of winter sports, here's the goal: to get 300 million people -- around a quarter of the population -- participating in winter sports. Plus, 650 skating rinks and 800 ski resorts are expected to be built by 2022, with billions of dollars investments.

The trend brings huge opportunities for talented athletes. The demand for winter sports coaches is increasing rapidly, tool. Many employers try luring talent with high wages but still end up disappointed.

"We've been to many universities in the country looking for talent, but we still fail to find enough coaches for our training base.The demand is huge, but the number of qualified people is so limited."

Many also see tremendous economic potential in the boom, authorities expect China's winter sports industry to be worth 158 billion USD by 2025. ZHENG CHUNYING, CGTN.