As the 2022 Winter Olympics is getting closer, how is China preparing for the event? In what ways should the country promote Olympic winter sports, which are regarded by many as money-consuming? Can Chinese youths balance physical education and study burdens?

(Yang Yang at the two sessions in Beijing)

During this year’s two sessions currently being held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, CPPCC member Yang Yang, a retired short-track speed skater, submitted a proposal, calling for the establishment of competition platforms for senior high school students and above. Her suggestion won the support of Yao Ming, the former NBA star.

According to Yang, having been trained for winter sports 4-5 years in primary school, Chinese teenagers lack platforms to show their talent. Plus, because of the overwhelming study burdens, it is hard for them to pursue a professional career in winter sports.

In 2015, at a meeting with Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, president of Olympic Council of Asia, Chinese president Xi Jinping mentioned China's vision of promoting 300 million people to partake in winter sports. Talking about the goal, Yang, who is now vice president of the Chinese Skating Association, said she was confident it could be achieved.

When it comes to the preparation for the 2020 Winter Olympics, she said, “We pledged to the world that we would run an athlete-centered Olympics. In order to achieve this commitment, we athletes have been invited to join the organizing committee and give our opinions.”

“Athlete-centered” is not just talk. As Yang noted, in venue construction, ordinary people might pay more attention to fitness and warm-up rooms, while for athletes, what’s more important is the quality of the ice used. The better the ice, the better can athletes perform. Considerations like this are taken into account by the committee.

Guaranteeing the best ice for the athletes to deliver their best performance, so as to promote the influence of the Olympics and engage more people in winter sports, is not only a pursuit of the Winter Olympics, but also lies at the heart of the “Olympic legacy.”