Slogan, emblem, mascots for Asian Winter Games in Harbin unveiled

"Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," two tigers and a short track speed skater… The slogan, emblem, and mascots for the 9th Asian Winter Games to be held in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province have been officially unveiled on Thursday.

The 9th Asian Winter Games will feature six sports that cover 11 disciplines and 64 events, said the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The city hosted the 1996 edition, and the 2007 edition was hosted in Changchun, capital city of Northeast China's Jilin Province.

Besides of the slogan, the adorable tiger mascots "Binbin" and "Nini" and the official emblem, which is the fusion of a short track speed skater figure, a lilac flower and dancing ribbons, were also unveiled at the launching ceremony.

The Chinese slogan can be literally translated as "A shared dream of the ice and snow, Asia's shared heart.

"The slogan mentions sharing twice. It entertains the hope that the Games will be an opportunity to serve as a bond to promote exchanges, cooperation and joint development among Asian countries and even the entire world," Luo Le, a scholar of sports industry at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology told the Global Times.

The emblem combines elements like a short track speed skater's sprinting posture, a lilac, the official flower of Harbin, and the glowing red sun of the Olympic Council of Asia, skillfully blending Chinese culture with Olympic elements.

It conveys China's pursuit in the new era of accelerating the development of a strong sports nation and tirelessly striving for higher, faster, stronger goals, contributing to the development of winter sports in Asia.

The two mascots, Siberian tiger "Binbin" and "Nini," are inspired by two adorable Siberian tiger cubs born at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin in September 2023. The word "bin" is part of the name of the city, Harbin, and "ni" shares the same pronunciation of "you" in Chinese. The two names combined convey the meaning of the words: "Harbin welcomes you."

"Culturally, we have always emphasized the significance of Chinese culture going global. Northeastern culture, as part of Chinese culture, is characterized by a unique charm. The people there are warm, hospitable, humorous, and their cuisine is distinctively characteristic. Lately the Northeast China has become a popular tourist destination for the entire country and this is certainly an excellent opportunity to promote and transform Harbin and the North-East in general into an international tourist destination that integrates sports and culture," Luo added.

The 9th Asian Winter Games officially opened submissions for the event's emblem, mascot, and slogan in September 2023, which drew global attention and participation. The online campaign related to the collection has surpassed 520 million views, coverin more than 30 countries and regions. A total of 4,608 submissions were received from China and abroad, which included 3,518 slogan design submissions, 760 emblem design submissions, and 330 mascot design submissions.