Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 15 (Reporters Zhao Xu, Lin Deren) On the 15th, the Chinese men's ice hockey team faced the world's No. 1 Canadian team in the men's ice hockey knockout round of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and finally lost 2:7 to their opponents. to end the Winter Olympics.
Chinese men's ice hockey head coach Zannata Ivano said after the game that he was very proud of the Chinese men's ice hockey performance at this Winter Olympics.
Zannatta said that for the Chinese men's ice hockey team who made their first Olympic appearance, this participation was a particularly valuable experience.
The Olympic Games is a big stage, which can not only allow players to grow, but also bring China's ice hockey culture to a new level.
At the end of the first quarter, Chinese goalkeeper Jeremy Smith left the field with an injury.
In this regard, Zanata said: "We lost a key player, which had a great impact on the game, but the whole team fought hard and showed the best state, I am very proud."
"It's good that the Chinese team can show such a performance in their first show. We have grown slowly through the experience of this kind of competition, which is a good sign. The Chinese team should continue to maintain this momentum." He said.
Regarding the Chinese team's trip to the Winter Olympics, Zanatta said: "The experience of this Winter Olympics is unbelievable. We are ranked 32nd in the world, facing the top five players in the world such as the United States, Germany and Canada. It means that this team has very good players and very good chemistry. We are a competitive team, and we need to adhere to this philosophy of ice hockey. Ice hockey is a very competitive sport, even if Teams like the U.S. have won the Winter Olympics only a handful of times, and China's ice hockey is just getting started."
Regarding the future development of ice hockey in China, Zannata said that the most important thing is to make young people fall in love with the sport.
He said: "Ice hockey is a team sport, which is very helpful for children's development, allowing them to understand teamwork and work towards the same goal."