About the Games – Harbin 9th Asian Winter Games
The Harbin Asian Winter Games (AWG) will be held in Harbin in Heilongjiang, China from 7 to 14 February 2025. It is the second time for Harbin to become the host city for AWG after 1996, and the third time for China to hold this winter multi-sports event. AWG features 64 medal events across 6 sports, including biathlon, curling, ice hockey, skating, skiing and ski mountaineering.
Games Overview
| Date | 7 to 14 February 2025 |
| Location | Harbin in Heilongjiang, China |
| Games Venue | Harbin and Yabuli |
| Sports Programme | 64 medal events across 11disciplines in 6 sports |
| Host | The Organizing Committee for the 9th Harbin Asian Winter Games 2025 |
| Patron | Olympic Council of Asia |
Slogan
Dream of Winter, Love among Asia
Emblem – Breakthrough
The emblem of the Harbin AWG is named “Breakthrough”. The design of the key motif integrates the sprinting posture of a short track speed skater, a lilac (the city flower of Harbin) and swirling ribbons, combining Chinese culture with Olympic elements.
The short track speed skater embodies the sportsmanship of athletes for striving for excellence and breaking new ground. The lilac, the city flower of Harbin, symbolizes the city’s openness and inclusiveness. The swirling ribbons add a festive and joyful touch to the overall visual design.
The image of the sun on the top left resembles the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), representing the common aspiration of Asian countries and regions to pursue progress and peace.
In Chinese culture, the number “nine” holds great significance. The overall design can be seen as a variant of the Chinese character for “nine” (“九”). It does not only symbolize the 9th AWG, but also Harbin’s warm welcome to athletes from around Asia. The outer contour lines of the emblem also form a cursive character (“合”) which conveys the wish for solidarity and making progress for a shared future.
Mascot – Binbin and Nini
The mascots of the Harbin AWG, “Binbin” and “Nini”, are a pair of adorable Siberian tigers. Dressed in winter sportswear and skates, Binbin represents the ice events with its name taken from the word “Harbin”. Snowboarding in traditional Chinese outfit, Nini represents the snow events. Its name comes from the pronunciation of “Ni” (“您”) in Manadrin, meaning “you” in Chinese. Together, the names of the mascots convey the message of “You are welcome to Harbin”, showcasing the city’s eagerness to greet athletes and representatives from around Asia.
In traditional Chinese culture, tiger is a symbol of good fortune and associated with “integrity”, “strength” and “courage”. These values echo the Olympic spirit. Designed with the Siberian tigers as the blueprint, Binbin and Nini have facial characterisitcs that resemble the northern folk tiger toys. The snowflakes on their foreheads and outfit draw inspiration from the traditional Chinese paper cutting art, which is an intangible cultural heritage. The patterns on their gloves are Harbin’s city flower, the lilac. The design of the mascots integrates Chinese culture with Olympic spirit, demonstrating the city’s cultural confidence and telling a good Chinese story.
Inspired by the vibrant energy of life in nature, the design theme of the torch is “Surging”. It symbolizes the vitality and passion of host city for the 9th AWG, and expresses enthusiasm for winter sports, as well as the solidarity and friendship among Asia countries and regions.
The torch’s overall shape takes the form of a blossoming lilac and features colors such as Chinese red, lilac purple and snow white. These colors represent Harbin’s sincerity, warmth and inclusiveness. When lit, the torch creates a stunning effect of merging ice and fire, highlighting the radiant energy of winter sports that emerges from challenges and passion.