[Beijing Winter Olympics] 100-day countdown to the Winter Olympics
[Explanation] On October 26, the Beijing Winter Olympics entered the 100-day countdown, and the preparations for the Chinese Winter Olympics Corps also entered the sprint stage.
China's ice and snow sports have always presented a development situation of "strong ice and weak snow".
In addition to traditional advantages such as short track speed skating and figure skating, many sports such as snowmobile sled and ski jumping are still relatively "unpopular" in China.
As the 100 days countdown to the Beijing Winter Olympics, let's get to know the "unpopular" Winter Olympics in China.
1. Snowmobile sled: the "speed responsibility" of the Winter Olympics
[Explanation] Snowmobile sledding is the fastest event in winter sports, and athletes must wear helmets to compete.
High-speed sliding and centrifugal force, athletes are in a state of speeding against the wall in many stages.
Among all Winter Olympic events, the four-person snowmobile is the fastest, with a top speed of nearly 140 kilometers per hour, which can be called the "F1" in the winter event.
In order to host the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Yanqing competition area built China's first snowmobile sled track-the national snowmobile sled center track "Snow You Dragon".
With the advent of the recent Winter Olympics test competition, it will also help the public to learn more about the sport of snowmobile sledging.
[Concurrent] Lin Jinwen, Director of the National Snowmobile and Sled Center
For the first time since the completion of the National Snowmobile Center Stadium, a high-level international competition has been held.
At present, preparations for competition organization, venue facilities, and venue operations have been completed. More than 400 Chinese and foreign athletes will compete on the same arena and participate in taxiing.
2. Ski jumping: a leap for the brave
[Explanation] Ski jumping is abbreviated as "snow jumping". It was listed as a competition event at the first Winter Olympics in 1924. It is the ultimate display of speed, strength and technology, and it is both challenging and enjoyable.
For a long time, ski jumping in China has been restricted by site conditions, has a low degree of popularity and is more difficult to develop.
Therefore, there is a big gap between the development level of ski jumping in China and European and American countries.
In 2004, China had its first ski jumping team.
At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, Chinese athlete Chang Xinyue made a breakthrough and became the first female athlete in the history of Chinese ski jumping to enter the Winter Olympics.
[Concurrent] Chang Xinyue, a Chinese female ski jumper
Their (European and American players) training conditions and time will be much earlier than ours.
Every year they train, there are many such venues in front of their own homes, and they can jump whenever they want.
Then we also have a big gap in time, so if we have time and conditions, I think we will definitely be better.
3. Cross-country skiing: the first gold project of the Beijing Winter Olympics
[Explanation] Cross-country skiing, which originated in Northern Europe, is one of the oldest sports in the history of world sports.
With the help of ski equipment, athletes use basic techniques such as climbing, downhill, turning, and sliding to slide between hills and snowy fields.
Cross-country skiing has been included in the Winter Olympic Games in 1924, and it has been nearly a hundred years since it has been a big gold medalist in the Winter Olympics, with a total of 12 gold medals.
The first gold medal of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will be produced on the cross-country skiing event on the first competition day.
During the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle, the Chinese national cross-country skiing team adopted cross-border and cross-sport selection methods, successively recruiting runners from marathons, cycling and other events, and conducting inspections and selections through domestic and foreign competitions.
At present, the overall level of the team has improved significantly.
[Concurrent] Zhang Bei, the leader of the national cross-country skiing training team
Our advantage compared with other countries is the state’s support, because we have been well protected and have been training in a very closed place, that is, we have not been affected by the epidemic, regardless of life, training, etc. Every country can feel the warmth and support given by the country.
[Explanation] The pace of the Beijing Winter Olympics is approaching. It is worth looking forward to whether the Chinese ice and snow athletes at home can make breakthroughs in multiple events.
Comprehensive report by reporter Xu Pengpeng
Editor in charge: [Liu Pai]