Slogan: Charming Changchun
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Host city | Changchun, China | ||
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Nations participating | 25 | ||
Athletes participating | 796 estimated | ||
Events | 47 in 5 sports | ||
Opening ceremony | January 28 | ||
Closing ceremony | February 4 | ||
Officially opened by |
Hu Jintao President of China |
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Athlete's Oath | Li Ye | ||
Judge's Oath | Yang Jiasheng | ||
Torch lighter | Li Jiajun | ||
Main venue | Changchun Wuhuan Gymnasium | ||
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The 6th Asian Winter Games were held in Changchun, People's Republic of China from January 28 to February 4, 2007. The Winter Games are a celebration of Winter sports in Asia. This is the second time that China hosted the Winter Asian Games; the first was in Harbin in 1996.
Preparation for the games began four years before the event. In the months leading up to the games the preparation was led by the Acting Governor of Jilin, Han Changbin.
The 2007 Winter Asiad mascot is Lulu, a deer seen around Changchun commonly. It is a species of the sika deer, a native of East Asia. In the Chinese culture, this deer is considered to be a symbol of good luck and fortune. It is said to be featuring a mild temper, a sporty spirit and quick response. Lulu is expected to represent the welcoming smile of the Changchunans.
Combining the movements of a ski jumper and a short-track speed skater, the emblem of the 2007 Asian Winter Games consists of two Chinese calligraphy strokes. The blue C-shaped stroke calls to mind the first letter of Changchun and represents the city's characteristic as the "city of ice and snow" and "city of science and technology". The bottom green stroke symbolizes peace ("friendship first, competition second") and represents the city's characteristic as the "city of everlasting spring" and "city of the forest". The emblem presents an image of "change with each passing day" and "the hawk takes to the vast sky."
A total of 47 medal events in ten sports and disciplines were in contention in the Sixth Winter Asian Games.
The sixth edition marked the first time that all members of the Olympic Council of Asia sent delegations to the Winter Asiad. The following are the 25 National Olympic Committees which competed, with the number of competitors they fielded:
Seven figure skaters from Kuwait, Malaysia, Macau and a speed skater from Turkmenistan were not allowed to compete as their respective nations were not members of the International Skating Union. However, competitors were later allowed to compete, but their results were not allowed to count towards the official rankings.