China's national games have been widely criticized for being too frequent and too expensive. But the organizing committee of the 12th National Winter Games said things will be different in Jilin. They said they'll try their best to stage a grand event at the lowest cost to both taxpayers and the environment.

Song Jixin, director of Jilin Sports Administration, said, "We did not build any new venues for this national winter games. We make good use of the current venues left by the Asian Winter Games in 2007. All the facilities have been refurbished according to the needs of the athletes and the audience. And they are in very good condition. To polish the ice we use recycled water. We try our best to save money and not to harm the environment."