A contestant performs figure skating during a figure skating competition held in Shinan district on Dec 22. [Photo/WeChat account: qdweishinan]

A students' figure skating competition was held in Shinan district, Qingdao, Shandong province on Dec 22, attracting nearly 100 students from more than 20 schools around the district.

International and national referees from the Chinese Figure Skating Association were invited to judge the contestants' performance. The competition also adopted the scoring system of the International Figure Skating Union, making it more internationalized.

The contestants were divided into eight groups and a total of 24 of them eventually won awards. In addition, the three schools whose total scores ranked the highest were also recognized.

"Many players gave outstanding performances during the competition, combining their movement with the music well," said Li Shujie, chief referee of the competition. "More talents in figure skating are expected to be cultivated in Qingdao to prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games." 

A student surnamed Wang said she loves figure skating and will insist on it being part of her future. Her parents praised the competition for providing an opportunity for students to show off their progress and learn from each other.

The winter sports have gradually become characteristic campus sports in Shinan district. The province's first high-quality artificial ice rink has been established in a Shinan-based primary school, covering an area of over 300 square meters.

The district plans to organize experiential activities on real ice rinks during this winter holiday, with the help of the city's skating association, and to establish another artificial campus ice rink in 2020.