Yang Yang: The Winter Olympics are like a seed that sows people's desire to participate in ice and snow sports

In the ardent expectations of athletes around the world, the Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off. Since the beginning of the race, I have been touched by wonderful competitions, gratifying breakthroughs, and sincere friendships. As an athlete, I have participated in the Winter Olympics 3 times and have been impressed each time. The Beijing Winter Olympics are coming with the footsteps of Lichun and meeting with the Chinese Spring Festival, and the Olympic culture and the Spring Festival culture are intertwined, which will surely leave unforgettable Winter Olympic memories for athletes around the world.

After the establishment of the Athletes Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, I am very honored to be able to work with 18 other athletes to provide suggestions and suggestions for the preparation of the Winter Olympics.

Over the past 6 years, we have put forward hundreds of opinions and suggestions, such as the design details of the competition venue, the gluten-free food provided on the menu of the athletes' restaurant, etc., which have been paid attention to by the organizing committee.

In figure skating, athletes' clothes may be torn, and the capital gymnasium operation team has specially prepared sewing kits and specially arranged rooms for athletes to use.

The Capital Stadium is a venue I am very familiar with, and I have been training here for many years. Today, the venue has a new look, showing the charm of Beijing, the "City of The Two Olympics". At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, I was the flag bearer of the opening olympic flag; at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, I became the torchbearer of the opening ceremony, and the glory is still the same, full of pride.

In the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, I am pleased to witness the vigorous development of ice and snow sports on the mainland. When the bid for the Winter Olympics was successful, about 1/3 of the 109 sub-events of the Beijing Winter Olympics had hardly been carried out in the mainland, and now the Chinese sports delegation has obtained a total of 104 sub-events. I was lucky enough to witness the moment when the Chinese short track speed skating team won the mixed team relay championship at the Capital Gymnasium, and I was very excited at that moment.

We have achieved the goal of "bringing 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports", which is China's outstanding contribution to the Olympic Movement and the world's ice and snow sports. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, I was interviewed by a delegation of Chinese high school students and made a four-year winter Olympics appointment with everyone. Recently, I received a letter from a small reporter who was volunteering in Yanqing.

The Winter Olympics are like a seed, planting the desire to participate in ice and snow sports in the hearts of more people. With our hard work, I believe that this seed will eventually grow into a towering tree.

The Winter Olympics are underway, and I wish all athletes the realization of their dreams in China!

(The author is the chairman of the Athletes Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and Li Shuo, a reporter of people's daily, interviewed and sorted out)