The snowboarding competition, the first event of the 16th Games of Shanxi Province, will begin in the city of Datong in North China's Shanxi province on Feb 8. 

It is the first time that winter sports programs have been included in the Games, with snowboarding, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, speed skating, short track speed skating, and figure skating all on the agenda. 

The snowboarding competition will be held at the Wanlong Baideng Mountain International Ski Resort and consists of four categories - men's and women's parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom. 

The Games of Shanxi Province, which is held every four years, is the largest comprehensive sports event in Shanxi sponsored by the local provincial government. This year's event is organized by the Shanxi Sport Bureau, Datong and Shuozhou. 

It aims to discover and cultivate sports talent and professionals, improve competitive sports, fully display the province's achievements in sports reform, encourage young people to participate in sports, and further promote the spirit of sports and the development of sports in the province. 

There are 26 major events in the professional category in this year's Games, including track and field, weightlifting, swimming, judo, international wrestling, gymnastics, fencing, shooting, table tennis, and basketball.