Feature: National Games charts progress of winter sports after Beijing 2022

HOHHOT, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing 14th National Winter Games, held in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, showcases the elevated winter sports competition level in China after Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Zhang Xin, an official with the General Administration of Sport of China, stated that the Winter Games affirms the sustained achievements from the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Marking China's premier winter sports event following Beijing 2022, the Games features more than 3,000 athletes nationwide competing in 176 events across eight sports.

"Our confidence in winter sports has been greatly enhanced after China successfully hosted the Beijing Winter Olympics and recorded the best-ever results," Zhang told Xinhua.

"A total of 35 delegations across the nation participated in the National Games. And as of February 24, we had seen players from 30 delegations tally medals. Both figures enjoyed significant increase compared to the last edition," he said.

Northeastern provinces are considered powerhouses in winter sports in China, yet athletes from southern provinces like Guangdong and Jiangsu have also earned gold medals during the Games.

China has been working to amalgamate national resources for the development of winter sports through a joint training policy, which is designed to spark interest in the economically affluent southern regions to collaborate with the northern regions in talent development.

As Zhang explained, through joint training, resources like venues and technological products can be shared, leading to the overall improvement of athletes' competitive strength.

"Some southern provinces also have mature experience in summer sports which could be applied to developing winter sports. For example, speed skating and track cycling have a lot in common in terms of training and physical stamina requirements," Zhang said.

Results have proved the mechanism fruitful.

Among the 12 events in the open group of speed skating competitions at the Games, winning results of all six men's and three women's events exceeded those of the last edition, and the men's 10,000 meters saw a new national record.

"We have Olympic champions at the National Games, and also a large number of athletes of the younger generation. Many young talents have showcased their capabilities, which is of great significance for the talent pool in winter sports," Zhang said.

"But we still need to acknowledge the gap between China and traditional winter sports powerhouses in terms of competition level," he said, adding that they will start to prepare for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics immediately after the National Games concludes.

"We will take the National Games as an opportunity to intensify policy reform and adopt measures to better prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics, promote wider participation in winter sports and foster further development of the winter sports industry," Zhang said.