Xi Jinping: We insist that the results of the Winter Olympics be shared by the people, promote national fitness by promoting and popularizing ice and snow sports, assist poverty alleviation through industrial development, and improve people's quality of life by improving public services, so that people can be healthier physically and mentally, have more full employment, and live a more fulfilling life. Beauty means joint participation, joint effort, and joint enjoyment.
This passage comes from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at the summary and commendation meeting of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics on April 8, 2022.
Health is the foundation of people's livelihood.
National fitness is the foundation and guarantee for all people to strengthen their physical fitness and live a healthy life. It is also an important part of achieving common prosperity.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has elevated national fitness to a national strategy, carried out extensive national fitness activities, and promoted the in-depth integration of national fitness and national health.
As early as Beijing's bid to host the Winter Olympics, our country proposed the vision of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports." This solemn promise was successfully fulfilled before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Today, more and more ordinary people are entering the Winter Olympics venues and experiencing the charm of ice and snow sports up close.
At the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon", people can have a speed skating session on Winter Olympics-level ice; at the National Aquatics Center "Water Cube", the curling experience can satisfy people's curiosity about "ice chess" ; At the National Snowmobile and Sled Center "Snow Dragon", the speed of "F1 on Ice" is shocking.
These ice and snow sports and Winter Olympics venues provide more diversified choices and public services for people's fitness activities. my country's ice and snow sports have achieved a comprehensive upgrade from north to south, from winter to the four seasons, from niche competitive sports to mass fashionable lifestyles. .
The "China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report (2023)" shows that in the 2022-2023 snow season, the group participating in ice and snow sports in my country is mainly young people, of which ice and snow sports enthusiasts aged 27 to 39 account for nearly 60%.
The age structure of people participating in national fitness in our country is expanding from mainly teenagers and middle-aged and elderly people in the past to a wider age group, further promoting the realization of national fitness in the true sense.
Now, although it has been the second anniversary of the successful conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics, people's enthusiasm for ice and snow has continued to rise over the years.
At present, the 14th National Winter Games is in full swing. We believe and look forward to greater breakthroughs in the promotion and popularization of ice and snow sports in the future, allowing more people to enjoy the fun and benefits brought by ice and snow sports. The mutually reinforcing development of national fitness projects will jointly help national fitness become a common practice and accelerate the construction of a sports power.
Special expert for this issue: Hu Cencen, School of Journalism and Communication, Beijing Sport University