Guests arrive for Asian Winter Games banquet

Guests attending the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games arrived at the Sun Island Hotel in Harbin of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province on Friday noon for a banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping and his wife.

Arriving for the banquet were the Brunei’s Sultan, Kyrgyz President and his wife, Pakistani President, Thai Prime Minister, South Korean National Assembly Speaker and his wife, President of the International Olympic Committee, and Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia.

The 9th Asian Winter Games, scheduled for Feb 7-14, will bring together more than 1,270 athletes from 34 countries and regions, making it the largest edition in terms of participating delegations and athletes. The opening ceremony of the Games is to unfold on Friday night.