Chinese farmers swap sheep for skis ahead of Olympics

It may be hot outside but that doesn't stop doctors and former shepherds on skis snowploughing on giant white treadmills on the outskirts of Beijing -- part of the battalions of workers learning the sport ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

China is scrambling to build enthusiasm for winter sports ahead of the Games with an ambitious goal to increase the number of fans tenfold, to 300 million, by 2022.

The doctors, nurses and former sheep farmers are part of this mammoth effort, training for several days a week over the past year to make the cut as volunteers and workers during the Games.

The training continued through the searing summer in Yanqing district on the outskirts of Beijing, which will host several events in 2022, including Alpine skiing, bobsledding, skeleton, and luge.

Amid balmy temperatures outside, the students stood on skis on two inclined treadmills that were sprayed with water inside a gymnasium.

Lang Enge and his team of 25 farmers and shepherds practised their moves to be able to do "whatever the government arranges for us", such as cable car maintenance work, snow gear repair and operating artificial snow machines.

"Almost all farmers sold their sheep in our village, there are no shepherds now in Yanqing," says Lang, 29.

The sheepherders decided to sell their flocks after the local government told them they could keep them but could no longer take them to the mountains due to overgrazing.

Lang sold his 300 sheep and decided to focus on skiing instead. The local government finances all the training, promising jobs related to the Winter Olympics. Lang and his friends hope that by learning to ski, they can land permanent jobs in ski resorts after the Olympics.

- Once-in-a-lifetime chance -
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