State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) held a press conference in Harbin on July 21 to introduce the newly released 11 national standards on winter sports. The standards cover five major categories including basic vocabularies of winter sports, grading and evaluation of sports level, training specification, competition organization, as well as venue operation and management.

In terms of basic vocabularies, GB/T 42378-2023, Basic vocabulary for popular snow sports, and GB/T 42370-2023, Basic vocabulary for sports of racing skating, define the vocabularies for venues, equipment, staff, competition rules, technical movements, competition results and other aspects. They have constituted a unified concept system in line with the international practice, laying the foundation for enhancing the communication of parties involved in ice and snow sports and promoting the spread of ice and snow sports culture.

In terms of grading and evaluation of popular sports, four national standards such as GB/T 42369-2023, Specifications for grading and evaluation of popular racing skating sport level, specify the rules for sports level grading and the elements, procedure and results of evaluation, based on the characteristics of different sports, and stipulate the technical competence requirements and professional knowledge requirements for different levels of sports. They provide technical reference for various institutions to evaluate sports level in a scientific way, and help amateurs of winter sports grasp the correct methods and skills and precisely understand and improve their own technical levels of sports.

In terms of training of winter sports, GB/T 42373-2023, Specifications for popular training of alpine skiing and snowboarding, and GB/T 42376-2023, Specifications for popular curling training, stipulate the requirements for the content, institution, venue, training staff, effect evaluation and other aspects of the training of skiing and curling, which provide guidance for improving the capability of training institutions, perfecting the cultivation system of winter sports talents, and raising the popularity and development of mass winter sports.

In terms of competition organization, GB/T 42372-2023, Specifications for the popular snow sports competition, and GB/T 42374-2023, Specifications for classification and evaluation of snow sports competition, define the requirements for competition organization, staff training, safety emergency, medical support and other aspects, provide guidance for organizers and undertakers of competitions, and improve the level of competition organization and management. They help bring a demonstration effect of competition brand and offer reference for skiers to choose relevant competitions.

In terms of venue operation and management, GB/T 18266.5-2023, Ranking standards for sports facilities—Part 5: Star-rating standard for ski resorts, specifies the star-rating of ski resorts from the perspectives of natural environment, infrastructure, equipment, sports items and service management. It also strengthens the safety requirements for venue operation, and guides ski resorts to improve their construction quality and management service, create good environment for skiing, and improve consumer experience.