Strong vote of confidence given to winter games

In its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Chinese government pledged in 2015 to raise the number of winter sports participants in the country to 300 million by this year. Latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that more than 346 million Chinese have taken up winter sports.

Mark Thomas, managing director of S2M Consulting, a China-focused sports event company, said: "There is a strong argument to suggest China would have become the world's largest winter sports market, with or without the Winter Olympics. However, the Games have massively accelerated this process, driven by government policy and investment."

While there is still much work to be done regarding the legacy of the Games, including continued investment and education, Thomas said, "Given the sheer scale of China in terms of population, natural resources and an increasing middle class focused on health, fitness and leisure, it is only a matter of when, not if."

He said ice and snow sports will continue to grow in China, but in the meantime, it is also important that the government preserves the Olympic legacy.

"Facilities will have to be adapted for public use, and long-term policies need to be instigated to stimulate public and private sector investment not only in these facilities, but most important, in education and grassroots development to stimulate mass participation," he added.