Children skate at an indoor rink in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, July 23, 2016. Ice-sports are growing in popularity in Jiangsu. [Photo/VCG]

The indoor rink at MixC mall in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, has hosted an unprecedented number of skaters this summer. 

Many local residents, with a large majority being children aged from 6 to 12, shed their tears and sweat at the ice arena, which covers 2,000 square meters and maintains a year-round ice temperature of -20 C. 

Not only is the rink a cool place for escaping from the scorching heat, but also for the fever of ice-sports that has been sweeping across the province in recent years. 

A total of 16 ice rinks have been set up in across Jiangsu. Eight cities, including  Suzhou, Xuzhou, Changzhou and Suqian, have also established 15 ski resorts, with several covering over 50,000 sq m. 

A recently announced provincial ice-sports development plan said that by 2022 10 more outdoor skiing sites will be available to Jiangsu residents, along with a couple of new indoor skating rinks. 

The plan was jointly drafted by the provincial development and reform commission and the sports, education and tourism departments. 

The emergence of skating and skiing sites has also led to Jiangsu introducing a variety of ice-related activities and competitions. 

For example, the province held its first ice tourism festival in 2016, presenting various possibilities for local ice enthusiasts. The 2017 edition was carried out simultaneously in six cities and lasted for more than two months. The first ice carnival for Jiangsu teenagers also started earlier this year and continued for three months. 

The plan has also created related expectations, on one hand encouraging previous ice-sports competition host cities to bid for international opportunities, and on the other hand raising calls for Jiangsu to develop its ice-sports brands and strengthen its youth athletic training market. Two or three competitions at home and abroad are expected to be launched soon. 

The plan said the ice-sports industry in Jiangsu may achieve operating revenue of 10 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) by 2022. 

Though enjoying good momentum, industry insiders expressed concern as ice- sports require strict professional training to prevent various injuries. 

The lack of trainers, especially experienced ones, has become the largest impediment to the growth of Jiangsu's ice-sports. But Professor Wang Zongping from Nanjing University of Science and Technology has suggested headhunting gifted athletes from roller skating, gymnastics and trampolining as a possible solution to the lack of  demand ice-sports trainers.