Tourists ski at a winter sports park in Tengzhou, Shandong province. [Photo by SONG HAICUN/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The prominent contribution of Shandong-made products and the strong performance of Shandong athletes at the just-concluded Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have created an unprecedented opportunity for the development of winter sports and related industries in Shandong, local media reported.

In light of China's successful bid to host the Winter Olympics and the fulfillment of its pledge to engage 300 million people in winter sports, Shandong has been making full use of its ice and snow resources.

Public enthusiasm for winter sports has grown alongside Shandong's winter sports facilities over the years.

According to official statistics, 26 million people have participated in winter sports in Shandong. Local enthusiasm for the sports continues to rise, and the winter sports industry has entered a stage of rapid development in the province.

By the end of 2020, the total scale of the province's winter sports industry exceeded 3.4 billion yuan ($537.88 million), with more than 500 market players specializing in winter sports, forming a relatively complete industrial chain.

The province is now home to more than 100 winter sports equipment manufacturing enterprises. Shandong-made skis, ski goggles, ski gloves and other products rank first in the nation in terms of domestic market share.

As the end of 2020, the province had 51 ski resorts and 24 skating rinks, with a total area of 3,531,400 square meters reserved for winter sports. Total investment in winter sports venues and facilities reached 1.6 billion yuan.

Training institutions in the province have organized more than 230 winter camp activities for primary and secondary school students to promote winter sports.

The province has also built 60 primary and secondary schools with winter sports programs in their curricula to foster interest in the sport.

Shandong is also promoting local winter sports brand events to establish its prominence in the industry.