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Alpine skiers, figure skaters and 4,000 other university athletes and coaches from 50-plus countries will help create history in Heilongjiang province, said Li Zhanshu, governor of the province and president of the Organizing Committee of the 24th Winter Universiade Harbin 2009.

As the first to be held in China, the 21-day ice and snow competition will carry profound and historic significance for Heilongjiang.

"It's a dream come true for Harbin people to host the Winter Universiade and a glory for the 38 million people in Heilongjiang province," Li said.

The Harbin Winter Universiade will put on 12 sporting events in 82 disciplines—the most ever. "It shall certainly act as a positive, driving role to promote the development of international ice-snow sports," said the governor.

"Youth, Future, Ice and Snow" is the theme this year. Youth represents vigor and vitality and ice and snow are valuable natural resources.

"When youth from around the world gather to compete at the pure and noble arena with understanding, the universiade will be an unforgettable grand meeting," Li said.

The governor said Heilongjiang will provide the Harbin Winter Universiade with quality venues, facilities and services. All the venues were built and renovated according to the requirements of the International University Sports Federation, or FISU, and the International Individual Sports Organization.

The Organizing Committee for the 24th Winter Universiade Harbin 2009 has worked with various other departments in the province to improve the supplementary facilities.

A special railway and a highway leading to the venues are open to traffic. In addition, centralized heat was upgraded and the command center of the skiing contest, international TV broadcasting center, athletic villages and hotels were closely examined. Volunteers are ready to greet and welcome participants.

"We're certainly able to turn the 24th Winter Universiade into a magnificent gathering with unique charm and strong Chinese flavor," Li said.

Questions:

1. How many sporting events will take place at the The Harbin Winter Universiade?

2. How many days does the competition last for?

3. What is the theme of this year’s Universiade?

Answers:

1. 12.

2. 21.

3. "Youth, Future, Ice and Snow."

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.