The International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix Xi'an 2026 concluded on Aug 22, marking the first time Northwest China has hosted the event.

Australian athletes perform during the competition. [Photo/Xi'an news network]

Xi'an athletes Yin Shanjie and her partner Yang Shirui finished eighth in the ice dance event on Aug 21, with Yin saying, "It was in Xi'an that my figure‑skating dream began. Performing for my hometown and for all the people who care about winter sports means even more."

Ren Hongguo, president of the Chinese Figure Skating Association, said that the Xi'an leg has created a platform for young skaters from across the world to compete and engage in friendly exchanges, and that future winter sports events held in Xi'an will further extend winter sports resources to western China.

Audiences cheer for athletes. [Photo/Xi'an News Network]

The grand prix delivered integrated "sports‑culture‑tourism" services for competing skaters and spectators, with many out-of-town visitors choosing to combine watching matches with local sightseeing.

With affordable tickets starting at 80 yuan ($11.90), the competition drew 65 percent of its audience from outside Shaanxi province and 31.6 percent from Xi'an. Attendance for popular sessions exceeded 80 percent, converting event‑driven foot traffic into cultural‑tourism consumption.

Xi'an has hosted numerous high-profile international sports events in recent years, utilizing competitions as a bridge to advance the integration of sports, history, and cultural‑tourism consumption, blazing a new trail for the city's industries.