FILE PHOTO: 2022 Beijing Olympics - Victory Ceremony - Snowboard - Men's Snowboard Halfpipe - Zhangjiakou Medals Plaza, Zhangjiakou, China - February 11, 2022. Gold medallist, Ayumu Hirano of Japan celebrates on the podium. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo
(Reuters) - Japan's Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano will compete in the inaugural season of Shaun White's Snow League, the start-up circuit said on Wednesday, leading a decorated group of athletes.
The Snow League, a professional winter sports league dedicated to snowboarding and freeskiing, includes four events around the world, with the first kicking off in March at Colorado's Aspen Snowmass resort. The other locations are yet to be announced.
Snowboard halfpipe will feature at all four Snow League events next year, while freeskiing is expected to be added to the second event later in 2025.
Other halfpipe athletes announced included Hirano's compatriots Mitsuki Ono, a World Championships halfpipe bronze medallist, and Sena Tomita, who won bronze at the Beijing Olympics, as well as Spain's Queralt Castellet, who won silver at the 2022 Games.
"This is a dream roster of athletes at the absolute pinnacle of halfpipe snowboarding," retired American great White said in a statement.
"Each and every one of these riders are pushing the boundaries of competition and trick innovation."
The full field will include 20 men and 16 women, with a $1.5 million total prize purse on the line. The two-day competition in Aspen will take place on March 7-8.
Athletes earn points at each of the Snow League competitions, with the top performer across the four events named the Snow League World Champion.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
