(By Meng Xiaodong) Springtime in Beidaihe district is very beautiful and romantic, but roller skating gives it more vitality and stylish trends. On April 29th, the 14th International Roller Skating Festival and the 12th National Speed Roller Skating Championship for Youth inaugurated in the Olympic Boulevard Park. Municipal Party committee secretary Meng Xiangwei announced opening of the Festival.
Officials also in attendance are Yin Guochen, deputy director of Social Sports Center of General Administration of Sport of China; WangChun, deputy Inspector of Hebei Sports Bureau; Tian Jinchang, municipal Party committee deputy secretary and Beidaihe district Party committee secretary; and Feng Zhiyong, deputy mayor of Qinhuangdao.
The 14th International Roller Skating Festival is on the theme of “Chasing roller skating dream and supporting the Winter Olympics”. The festival, hosted by Social Sports Administration Center of General Administration of Sport of China, Hebei Sports Bureau and Chinese Roller Sports Association and undertook by Beidaihe District government and Qinhuangdao Sports Bureau, attracted over 200 delegations from home and aboard as well as more than 8000 roller skaters to Beidaihe. Over 50 China’s top roller skating athletes including several Olympic gold medalists gathered here to compete for places in the National Roller Skating Team for the Asian Games, Asian Championships and World Championships. On the opening ceremony, Olympic gold medalists Zhang Chi and Guo Dan were elected as image ambassadors of the Festival.
When the opening ceremony ended, more than 10000 roller skating lovers joined in the street skating event starting from the Olympic Boulevard Park. Skaters rolled pass trees and beaches, enjoying their love for roller skating as well as the charming coastal scenery. After this event, the activities and competitions of the 14th International Roller Skating Festival started smoothly. The 14th Festival not only included the Beidaihe International Roller Skating Open Marathon, the National Speed Roller Skating for Youth and China (Beidaihe) Free-style Roller Skating Open Championships as usual, but also added Trials for National Speed Roller Skating Team, Beidaihe International Skateboarding Open Championships, 2018 First National Roller Skating and Ice Hockey Open Championships for Youth and several other high-level competitions into its schedule.
On the day of the opening ceremony, the National Team officially released the players representing China to compete in the Asian Games’ speed skating matches. The speed skating national team for Roller Skating World Championships and Asian Championships were also formed in Beidaihe during the festival. To make the Festival worth watching and participating, roller skating world champions went to perform in famous tourist attractions of Beidaihe district. On April 30th, “Coast & Starry Night” slide battle competition, roller skating competition for kids and other activities favored by roller skating lovers and the public were held at the Worker’s Cultural Hall of Beidaihe, offering the public a “sports feast” during the May Day holiday.