Uppsala youths selected for Vasaloppet China

Six youths from the IK Rex ski club in Uppsala have been selected to compete in Vasaloppet China in Changchun. The event is China’s largest international long-distance cross-country skiing race, held annually in early January since 2003 and inspired by Sweden’s Vasaloppet in Mora.

The skiers travelled to China on New Year’s Day after the organizers could not find other Swedish participants and asked the club just three weeks before departure. Over 2,000 competitors from more than 30 countries took part in 2025. In the SVT clip the Uppsala youngsters talk about the adventure and their excitement about racing in Changchun.

Quotes from selected athletes include Henning Lindqvist, who said he didn’t know what to expect but thought it would be great, and Ingrid Wissman, who described being excited and finding it hard to take in that they were really going to China.