The Chefs de Mission Seminar of the ninth Asian Winter Games opened on Monday, with representatives from 32 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in attendance.

This photo taken on Sept. 23, 2024 shows the general view of Chefs de Mission Seminar of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (HAWGOC via Xinhua)

During the seminar, local organizing committee HAWGOC presented updates on the preparation for the event. Detailed discussions were held on 17 major topics, including competition services, competition venues, the athlete village, anti-doping measures, and catering and accommodation services. The committee also addressed questions and concerns raised by the Chefs de Mission.

Throughout the seminar, the HAWGOC will conduct multiple one-on-one sessions with the delegation chiefs and set up consultation booths in 14 operational areas, including ticketing, protocol and medical services, to better understand the needs of each delegation. Additionally, the delegation chiefs will also visit competition venues to gain a thorough understanding of the facilities and site conditions.

"We are pleased to see that with the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, HAWGOC has achieved great success. On behalf of the OCA, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the COC (Chinese Olympic Committee) and HAWGOC for the great efforts and achievements you have made in the past year," said Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) vice president Song Luzeng.

The ninth Asian Winter Games, scheduled for February 7-14, 2025, will see a record participation of 34 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), according to the organizers.