"Snow Princess" Li Nina: Witness the leapfrog development of ice and snow sports in China

Nina Lee.　Photo by Yin Xingyun

Beijing, January 4 (China News Network) (Reporter Du Yan) "In just a few decades, I have not only personally participated in the process of freestyle skiing aerial skills in China from scratch, from weak to strong, but also witnessed the leapfrog development of ice and snow sports in China. Li Nina, member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and manager of the National Freestyle Skiing Aerial Skills Team of the Winter Sports Management Center of the State General Administration of Sports, said on the 4th.

The Fifth Session of the 13th Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held a collective interview of "I am a member" on the 4th. Li Nina, dressed in sportswear, appeared at the interview site with the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch in her hand.

In October 2021, Li Nina represented China in Athens, Greece to participate in the collection and handover of the flame for the Beijing Winter Olympics. At that time, as a torchbearer, Li Nina passed the Beijing Winter Olympic torch to the last torchbearer in Greece, the Greek female skier Ladoplu.

"When I received the task of going to Greece to deliver the seeds of the Beijing Winter Olympics, my heart fluctuated." Li Nina said that more than 20 years ago, when she first went to the snow field and touched the skiing project, she never thought that she could one day climb the highest podium in the international arena, see the national flag raised, and listen to the national anthem.

Nina Li is the first World Championship champion and the first World Cup finals champion born in The Chinese freestyle skiing aerial skills project. During her time in the competition, she continued to refresh her achievements, winning 50 medals in world-class competitions, of which 21 were gold medals.

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City was Nina Lee's first Olympic Games. She talked about the excitement of the youth at that time, and realized on the field that the cheers and applause were not only given to the winners, but also to those who dared to face defeat and challenge themselves, which made her see the meaning of sports and realize the Olympic spirit.

Nina Li has competed in the Winter Olympics four times and won 2 silver medals. During this time, the format of the 2013 freestyle skiing aerial skills project changed, and she returned after announcing her retirement, aiming for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. During a training session shortly after her comeback, she broke the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, but it took her only six months to return to the training ground and get the "ticket" to the Sochi Winter Olympics. Although she did not win the gold medal, Li Nina calmly bid farewell to the field.

In February 2014, Nina Li announced her official retirement, choosing to continue her fate with ice and snow and the Winter Olympics.

She was appointed as an ambassador for China's bid for the Winter Olympics and made her final presentation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015 as a member of the Team for the Winter Olympics.

After the success of her bid for the Winter Olympics, she joined the Winter Olympics propaganda team, went into schools, communities, and enterprises to tell the story of the Olympic Games; she often used her personal time to go to the snow field on weekends to popularize ice and snow knowledge, and teach children to learn skiing by hand.

"The moment I held the torch, I felt a heavy weight." She said that this weight is a recognition and encouragement for her personal sports career and work after the transformation after retirement, and it is also an affirmation and appreciation for the development of ice and snow sports in China.

When China bid for the Winter Olympics, it promised to "promote 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports". She said that looking back on the past 6 years, China's competitive sports and mass sports have achieved great progress in winter sports, ice and snow projects have been realized from scratch in a few years, and some projects have even reached the world's advanced level. ”

Today, she is not only a member of the Athletes Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, but also responsible for the management of the National Freestyle Skiing Aerial Skills Team at the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport.

A month before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, she said that the team's food, accommodation and practice competitions will be arranged so that the team members have the best mental state and the best performance, and compete for gold and silver for the motherland at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In her view, in 2008, the unparalleled Beijing Olympic Games let the world know a China that has become more open, inclusive and modern after 5,000 years of wind and frost; in 2022, China will once again show the world the self-confidence and responsibility of a big country through the Beijing Winter Olympics.

"Moving towards the future with the Beijing Winter Olympics." She extended an invitation to athletes from all over the world, "Welcome to Beijing, we will see you in Beijing!" (End)