China’s First 12-Year Integrated Short Track Speed Skating School Opens in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang Province

HARBIN, China, Sept.12, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/

China’s first 12-year integrated short track speed skating school — Qitaihe Short Track Speed Skating School — officially opened on Sept. 8 in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang Province.

A total of 214 new students from seven provinces and autonomous regions across China as well as from abroad enrolled at the school, where they will receive systematic short track speed skating training alongside regular education from primary through secondary vocational school.

The newly established school integrates teaching, training, medical and research services, and accommodation. It consists of primary, junior high, and secondary vocational sections, with plans to expand an affiliated kindergarten. The school adopts an all-in-one model of “living, studying, and training,” and also incorporates diversified sports such as curling, roller skating, speed skating, and cycling, offering students a one-stop training platform.

The first batch of students includes 158 from Qitaihe and 56 from other regions, including Henan, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Ningxia, along with two students from Canada. Their ages range from 5 to 15, covering the prime years for cultivating short track speed skating talent.

According to Zheng Haiyu, principal of the school, the core advantage of the 12-year integrated sports school lies in its deep integration of sports and education, which provides athletes with broader development pathways.

Since the 1970s, Qitaihe has cultivated a number of Olympic and world champions in winter sports, earning the title of “City of Olympic Champions.”

Source: Qitaihe Short Track Speed Skating School