China's winter sports athletes made history at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, securing 32 gold medals and 85 total podium finishes – both new competition records. Delegation chief Zhou Jinqiang celebrated the team's success while outlining ambitions for global winter sports dominance ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Ice & Snow Balance Signals Strategic Shift
For the first time, snow sports accounted for nearly 60% of China's gold medals (19 vs. 13 in ice sports), showing progress in diversifying strengths beyond traditional disciplines like speed skating. Zhou highlighted youth athletes like snowboarders Zhang Xiaonan (18) and Xiong Shirei (17) as key drivers of this momentum.
Road to Milan-Cortina
While celebrating the achievement, Zhou warned against complacency: 'We still lag in coaching systems and talent pipelines compared to global leaders. Our next challenge is translating regional success into Olympic results.' Analysis shows China currently dominates Asian competitions in freestyle skiing and snowboarding but needs stronger development in figure skating and other technical disciplines.
Legacy of Beijing 2022
The delegation credits infrastructure investments from Beijing's Winter Olympics for expanded training opportunities. Since 2015, China has built over 30 new winter sports training centers and more than doubled registered athletes to 12,000 – growth reflected in Harbin's record medal diversity across 11 disciplines.
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China's delegation chief praises athletes at Asian Winter Games
cgtn.com
