As the saying goes, "The year's plan starts with spring, and now is the time for preparation". To welcome the ninth Asian Winter Games held in their hometown, Harbin, six sports teachers from Harbin Engineering University (HEU), serving as technical officials, have already immersed themselves in intense preparations.
On January 27, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Xu Qin, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Provincial People's Congress, visited the university for research and condolences. Huang Hongli, Liu Yu, Tong Bo, Feng Di expressed their determination to transform the experience gained from serving the "Winter Olympics" into new momentum for ensuring the success of the "Asian Winter Games."
Among the six sports teachers, except for Deng Xin, the other five served as technical officials for both the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Harbin Asian Winter Games:
Guan Chengxue, an international-level chief referee. As an international technical official, she served in the speed skating event at the Asian Winter Games.
Huang Hongli, a national-level referee. As a domestic technical official, he served in the cross-country skiing event at the Asian Winter Games.
Liu Yu, a national-level referee. As a domestic technical official, she served in the figure skating event at the Asian Winter Games.
Tong Bo, a national-level referee. As a domestic technical official, he served in the slopestyle event at the Asian Winter Games.
Feng Di, an international-level referee. As a member of the venue-based competition team, he served in the halfpipe event at the Asian Winter Games.
Deng Xin, a first-level referee. As a member of the Yabuli Awards Plaza operations team, he oversaw stage supervision.
Deng Xin shared, “As the stage supervisor, the role was to ensure the smooth execution of on-stage activities. Every medal ceremony, every flag raised, and every national anthem played required precise timing, from equipment checks to rehearsals, contingency plans to team coordination. Reflecting on this experience, my involvement in the Asian Winter Games has deepened my understanding of sports education. I plan to integrate team dynamics and cross-cultural communication cases from the event into my teaching, helping students grasp the 'bigger picture' behind sports. Through sports, I hope more students can appreciate the power of unity.”
HEU faculty and students rallied behind the six sports educators in various ways.
The university's official account published an article titled "Witnessing the Glory of Ice and Snow! Five HEU Referees Set Off for the Asian Winter Games."
The Sports Department's official account released seven reports, including "Five HEU Sports Teachers Selected as Technical Officials for the Ninth Asian Winter Games," "Let Every Light Shine Brightly—A Pre-Games Feature on the Ninth Asian Winter Games," "The Charm of Winter Sports Lies in Constant Self-Breakthroughs," "From 'Little Ice Goddess' to a Double Asian Winter Games Connection," "Asian Winter Games Promote a Comprehensive Multi-Layered Ice and Snow Sports Ecosystem," and "Igniting Public Passion for Winter Sports with the Asian Winter Games Flame."
Off-campus media also spotlighted Liu Yu, who appeared as the "Little Ice Goddess" in the opening ceremony of the 1996 Harbin Asian Winter Games and returned as a technical official for the 2025 edition. On February 9, Heilongjiang TV's "Night News" aired a segment titled "From 'Little Ice Goddess' to a Double Asian Winter Games Connection." On February 12, CCTV News published an article "The 'Little Ice Goddess' from the 1996 Opening Ceremony Returns to the Asian Winter Games in a New Role," which garnered over 400,000 views.
With the Asian Winter Games concluded successfully, the six teachers have returned to campus to prepare for the new semester. They unanimously expressed their commitment to upholding the "Harbin Military Engineering" spirit, adhering to the principles of "cultivating virtue through education" and "educating through sports," and contributing further to the development of winter sports in Heilongjiang and the nurturing of sports talent at HEU.
