On Saturday, the 9th Asian Winter Games started off with a bang as 17 gold medals were awarded on the first day of competitions, the highest medal haul of any match day during the event. Li Guang, director of the organizing committee's competition department, highlighted the milestone by noting that three athletes set two Asian records each, with Chinese speed skaters Gao Tingyu and Ning Zhongyan shattering both Asian and Asian Winter Games records in their respective 100m and 1500m events.

The festivities continued as athletes from 24 countries and regions took part in the women's giant slalom skiing, making it the event with the most wide-ranging participation. This robust attendance included delegations from nations not traditionally linked with winter sports, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, as well as entries from West Asian regions like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE. Such participation underscores the growing popularity and expansion of winter sports across Asia.

In addition to these impressive feats, the Games featured a significant number of debut events – 31 percent of the total – which included new competitions in speed skating, short track, curling, ski mountaineering, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding. Notably, curling, despite its origins in Europe, has found a regular spot in the Asian Winter Games ever since its reintroduction at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. The inclusion of mixed doubles curling, which made its Olympic debut in 2018 Pyeongchang, further attests to the evolving nature of the Winter Games.