LANZHOU -- The National Biathlon Invitation kicked off in Baiyin city of northwest China's Gansu province on Sunday and will run until Feb 25.

Athletes compete at the Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base in Gansu province on Feb 19. [Photo by Chen Kun for chinadaily.com.cn]

The tournament held at the Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base features 91 athletes from 10 teams.

Athletes compete at the Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base in Gansu province on Feb 19. [Photo by Chen Kun for chinadaily.com.cn]

Eleven events including the women's 7.5km sprint, men's 10km sprint and men's 12.5km pursuit are on the competition schedule.

Athletes compete at the Baiyin National Snow Sports Training Base in Gansu province on Feb 19. [Photo by Chen Kun for chinadaily.com.cn]

Built in late 2019, the training base has a service center with over 100 rooms, a 75,000-square-meter ski resort, an indoor training hall and a biathlon training area. The National Biathlon Championships were held at the base earlier this month.

Winners attend the award ceremony. [Photo by Chen Kun for chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhou Jinping, director of Gansu Provincial Winter Sports Management Center, introduced that the development of winter sports in the northwestern province has obtained a bright prospect since the Beijing Winter Olympics.

According to statistics released by the provincial sports bureau, nearly 100 winter sports events are held in Gansu province that engage about five million people in winter sports each year.