By sportswriters Wang Qin'ou and Li Dian
JILIN, China, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Spending nearly a week in China, Pierre Dupont, the Vice President of the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), has found himself deeply involved in the lead-up to the Winter Olympic Games for the first time, despite organizing ski mountaineering competitions for three decades.
Currently, amidst a flurry of work emails from the International Olympic Committee, his visit to China marks a significant moment for both him and the ISMF, as ski mountaineering is poised to make its debut at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
For the ISMF, the scenario is unprecedented. Ski mountaineering is set to debut as a new event at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. For this commercially limited winter sport, the Winter Olympics represents the highest standard of competition and an unparalleled opportunity for exposure.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Dupont shared insights on the evolution of ski mountaineering from a largely European-centric sport to a globally recognized event, thanks in part to the participation of countries from other continents, including Asian nations.
During his visit to China, Dupont participated in organizing the Asian Championships held at the Songhua Lake Ski Resort in Jilin Province. He expressed satisfaction with the scale and level of the competition.
"These are great competitions," he said. "The level of competitors there is high and I am very happy with that. The number of countries and runners participating in this Asian championship is very encouraging for the Asian Council."
The competition featured over 60 athletes, a significant increase, though still not on par with the 2024 European Championships, which attracted over 200 participants. In addition to traditional teams from China, Japan, and South Korea, there was also an unprecedented participant from the tropical country of Thailand.
"The development of ski mountaineering outside of Europe is one of our priority areas of development in the world," Dupont said.
Traditionally, residents of snow-covered mountainous regions worldwide have practiced ski mountaineering as a mode of transport. It evolved into a competitive sport in Europe, where modern sports developed early. This transformation also helped preserve and evolve traditional practices. To this day, in the Alps and the Pyrenees, locals still treat ski mountaineering as a recreational activity, climbing snow-capped mountains with friends for a coffee before descending together. Such a grassroots base further provides fertile ground for the sport's competitive development.
"However, this is mainly in countries like France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain," Dupont noted.
The European mountains, with altitudes not exceeding 4,800 meters, do not pose extreme physiological challenges, making them ideal venues for the classic long-distance ski mountaineering competitions that offer spectacular vistas.
Yet, for the sport to grow, expanding its audience, market, and practitioner base is inevitable. The traditional European model proved less viable when the ski mountaineering community sought global promotion, even aspiring to join the Winter Olympics. Not every place has snow mountains, and outdoor races pose too great a challenge for staff, spectators, and broadcasters. Long-distance races can also become monotonous and lose intrigue early on.
"But now we have solutions to races. The ISMF is becoming more adaptive," Dupont remarked.
In late 2010, the ISMF introduced new events - the Sprint and Relay races. The Sprint covers just a few hundred meters, with race times between three to three and a half minutes, while the relay race builds on the sprint course.
"They're fast, with lots of possible twists and turns, and the course must allow for overtaking," said Dupont. "The races can be held at ski resorts, allowing spectators in the starting area to see the entire course. These are very interesting races for the public and they are attractive on television."
In 2020, ski mountaineering was included in the Winter Youth Olympic Games, which are known as testing grounds for Olympic events. In 2017, when ski mountaineering was announced as a part of the Winter Youth Olympics, the ISMF had 32 member associations. This number has since grown to 47, covering Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania, including tropical countries such as Thailand and Colombia.
"I think that the creation by the ISMF of the Sprint and Relay races was decisive [for the inclusion of ski mountaineering into the Winter Olympics]. They made us progress towards the highest level of competition," Dupont remarked.
In the process of globalizing the sport, Asia, and particularly China in recent years, has played a unique role.
"This cooperation [between China and the ISMF] began over the last decade. A few years ago, we held a World Cup with the collaboration of China and we now see that our collaboration is taking a big step forward," Dupont said.
According to Li Wenmao, Secretary-General of the Asian Ski Mountaineering Federation and Director of the High Mountain Sports Department at the General Administration of Sport of China, China's tradition of mountaineering and outdoor sports has fostered a community of ski mountaineering enthusiasts over the past 20 years, with continuous efforts to train athletes and compete in Asian events. Following ISMF's reforms, China has been more actively engaged in international organizational work. In December 2017, through the efforts of the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA), the World Cup season opener was held at the Wanlong Ski Resort in Zhangjiakou.
Dupont confirmed that it was the first time an ISMF World Cup event was held outside of Europe.
"Apart from the Alps and the Pyrenees, only Norway and China have already hosted the World Cup; America is working on it, as is Canada," said Dupont, adding that the success of this sport in Asia could serve as a model for other regions.
"Perhaps after you've begun and matured, we could then develop the North America," he said, expressing hope that more Chinese audiences would become familiar with ski mountaineering after the Harbin Asian Winter Games next year.
The Asian Championships in Jilin was Dupont's first visit to China, and the Songhua Lake Ski Resort left a strong impression on him. Pointing towards the ski hall at the end of the race track and a series of supporting facilities, he said: "This is the kind of competition environment that the IOC would appreciate - good snow, and the logistics are very convenient. This ski resort is perfect for a large number of ISMF races, especially for the two disciplines that will be at the 2026 Olympic Games, sprint and relay."
But it was not the first time that Dupont had encountered athletes from China. "Your young athletes have won gold medals at the World Cup. Seeing them this time, I noticed their skills have improved further," Dupont said, expressing his hope to see more Asian athletes on the world stage. ■
