Shenzhen breaks the ice with Olympic-sized skating rink

Shenzhen is set to enter the ice age with the opening of southern China's first Olympic-sized skating rink slated for December. The arena, under construction for more than a year, is being built within City Crossing - an expansive $4 billion complex that will feature a shopping centre, office blocks, five-star hotel, and apartments.

Conglomerate China Resources, which is behind City Crossing, had budgeted about 38 million yuan for the rink, said Ted Wilson, who is overseeing the arena project and will manage it upon its completion.

According to Wilson, it was China Resources' decision to build the arena, taking its cue from the popularity of the skating rinks in Taikoo Shing's City Plaza and Kowloon Tong's Festival Walk, which he has previously managed.

'They wanted it to be the biggest and they wanted it to be the best,' said Wilson.

In addition to basic skating lessons, Wilson hopes to be able to offer classes to the public in other ice activities, such as figure skating and short-track speed skating. The arena would employ about 20 coaches who 'are all national champions' in ice sports, Wilson said. Yang Yang, a short-track speed skating gold medallist in the 2002 Winter Olympics, will occasionally guest coach.

The Shenzhen arena will also be available for use by mainland and Hong Kong athletes. Ice hockey teams from northern China have already expressed interest in training there from the months of April through June - the period when state-owned arenas close, Wilson said.

Among the first Hong Kong athletes to train at the Shenzhen rink will be Special Olympics figure skaters who are due to have their first training session there next January. The arena will waive ice rental charges specially for the group.