Winter sports continue to grow in popularity. According to an unusual study conducted by Laurent Vanat Consulting of Switzerland, the crisis is not hindering the global winter sports market, with 20% growth predicted by 2020. The study covered 2,000 winter sports resorts. According to findings, some 110 million people in 80 countries regularly take part in winter sports. In 2011, there were 400 million skier-days across the world, a figure that has been relatively stable for the past 10 years. The concentration is largely in the Alps, which command 37% of the market, ahead of the Americas (21%), Asia-Pacific (19%), Western Europe (12%) and Eastern Europe-Central Asia (11%). France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy alone account for 46% of skiers worldwide. While there has been decline in Japan since the 1990s, sports on ice and snow are beginning to develop significantly in China. By 2020, the Chinese market could count 7 million new skiers, to whom will have to be added new followers in India, Pakistan and South Korea. Eastern Europe is also a growth area of the global market. There is likely to be a surge in Russia, with the 2014 Winter Olympics due to be held in Sochi. Fewer than 3% of the 140 million Russian population are currently skiers, compared, for example, with 37% of Swiss, 36% of Austrians, 25% of Norwegians, 20% of Czechs and 19% of French people. (IL/transl.rt)