BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- "Congratulations, China! IPC President Parsons expressed his gratitude with Chinese at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. From the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games on February 4 to the farewell of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games to the world on March 13, "ice and snow" has gradually integrated into the lives of the Chinese people. When the fireworks with the words "2022" dissipate over the National Stadium, what legacy will be left behind by the two ice and snow festivals?
On March 13, the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games was held at the "Bird's Nest" at the National Stadium.
"I believe that after the Winter Olympics, more and more people will fall in love with ice and snow sports." In the eyes of Xu Mengtao, the winter olympic champion of freestyle skiing women's aerial skills, the Beijing Winter Olympics has become a new starting point for ice and snow sports in China.
And this is exactly the impact of the Beijing Winter Olympics and The Winter Paralympic Games on China – the land of Shenzhou is still hot and "snow" boiling.
Data map: Haikou citizens experience indoor skiing and enjoy the joy of ice and snow sports. Luo Yunfei photo
From a beautiful vision to a grand opening
On January 19, the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee released the "Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Sports Heritage Report (2022)". It is mentioned that according to the "Statistical Survey Report on "Driving 300 Million People to Participate in Ice and Snow Sports" commissioned by the State General Administration of Sport, from the successful bid for the Winter Olympic Games to October 2021, the number of residents in the country who have participated in ice and snow sports is 346 million, and the participation rate of ice and snow sports is 24.56%, achieving the goal of driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports.
After more than 6 years of preparation, before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the beautiful vision finally became a magnificent beginning of the ice and snow feast.
A few days ago, at the Miaozigou Ski Resort in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, more than 30 disabled people felt the fun of "galloping" in the snow. "Keen on skiing before I went blind. Now that I can participate in ice and snow sports on the occasion of the Winter Olympics, I have fulfilled a wish. Under the guidance of volunteers, Ai Ximing changed into snow equipment and slid a beautiful arc on the snow in the sun.
Behind the numbers and stories is the effort of countless people. The seeds of ice and snow have taken root and sprouted on the land of China, nourishing generations of people.
Data chart: Xinjiang Youth Cross-country Skiing Championships kicked off in Altay City, known as the "Snow Capital of China", with more than 100 young athletes participating. Photo by Hu Junxiu
From igniting enthusiasm to continuing to heat up
On the snow field, tourists flow endlessly, when the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway will pull Hebei Zhangjiakou into the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei "one-hour life circle", in the past these days, taking the high-speed rail to ski, has become a fashion; "ice pier" and "snow melting" Orders are endless, the factory to step up the production ...
People's enthusiasm for ice and snow has not diminished.
On the alpine snow field at an altitude of 2800 meters in Gansu, Liu Yan galloped down from the snow track. "After watching the Winter Olympics, I felt that the skiing was super cool, although I fell a lot, but when I slid down the slopes, I felt very exciting, and I especially liked this project." And she is also a representative of many ice and snow lovers.
With the holding of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Paralympic Games, people's enthusiasm for ice and snow was ignited. Entering the "post-Winter Olympics" period, ice and snow sports continue to heat up, and the ice and snow culture of enjoying ice and playing with snow has become more and more intense.
Pictured here is the pinnacle club at the top of "Snow Ruyi" on September 13, 2021. (Drone photo) China News Service reporter Zhai Yujia photo
From Olympic venues to national fitness parks
"When I was in school, I went skating with my classmates every winter." Thinking back to his childhood, Peng Zhicheng was full of happiness. Riding an ice bike, he had a lot of fun with his grandson, who had just started kindergarten. Riding on the wind of the Winter Olympics, the entertainment activities of the people in winter will become more diverse in the future.
"The design and construction of all venues for this Winter Olympic Games takes into account the dual requirements of competition use and post-game utilization." Shen Jin, deputy director of the Planning and Construction Department of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, said so. He said that taking the National Ski Jumping Center "Snow Ruyi" as an example, from the beginning of the design, the use of the venue after the game was considered, and the "big ring" at the top - the summit club, can be used for forums, exhibitions, and catering in the future.
On March 4, the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games was held at the Beijing National Stadium. The picture shows the snow melting and the snow and ice arena. Photo by Yang Huafeng, a reporter of China News Service
Two spectacular ice and snow events will make the world applaud China, and the transformation of Olympic venues into ice and snow parks that encourage national fitness will have a more profound impact on the Olympic legacy.
The Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games ended with praise, the enthusiasm has not dissipated, let us wait for the "flower of ice and snow" to continue to bloom. (End)