China News Agency, Beijing, October 28th: From figure skating world champion to ice and snow sports promoter Tong Jian's indissoluble bond with ice and snow
China News Agency reporter Zheng Qiao
"Every time I set foot on the ice rink, I am very happy. I feel that I was born because of it." Tong Jian, the world figure skating champion, recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency in Beijing, describing his indissoluble bond with ice and snow.
He started figure skating training at the age of 7. Tong Jian has been involved in the sport for 37 years and has witnessed its development along the way.
In recent years, he has completed the transition from an athlete to a promoter of ice and snow sports.
In addition to running an ice art center, he also served as the coach of the figure skating team of the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, and a member of the Central Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports of the Revolutionary Committee of the Republic of China.
In 1993, Tong Jian partnered with Pang Qing and began to practice figure skating pair skating.
"At that time, domestic resources were scarce, we often wore second-hand equipment, and the choreography of music and dance was lagging behind." Tong Jian said, "When training in Harbin, when you look up at the stadium, you can see eight 'out of Asia, to the world'. Big print, that's also our original goal."
From winning the first career championship at the Asian Figure Skating Championships held in South Korea in 1999 to winning the fifth place in the World Championships in 2002, Tong Jian and Pang Qing achieved their initial goals, and since then they have frequently won gold in international competitions. Silver has become an "ace" of the Chinese figure skating team.
During their career, Tong Jian and Pang Qing participated in four Winter Olympics.
It is a pity that they missed medals in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics finally refreshed the freedom of the International Skating Federation with the song "Dream Without Regrets". Skating record, with a silver medal to realize the Olympic dream for many years.
Taking this opportunity, Tong Jian and Pang Qing officially announced to join hands to share the joy of love with ice fans.
In 2014, Tong Jian served as the flag-bearer of the Chinese delegation at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics. "This incident can make me proud for a lifetime." After the Sochi Winter Olympics ended, they decided to retire.
When he was participating in a commercial performance abroad, he heard the news that the World Figure Skating Championships would be held in Shanghai in 2015, and Pang Qing came up with the idea of participating.
"My first thought at the time was 'you must be crazy', which means that we have to start training for a long time, and the body may not be able to bear it." Tong Jian remembers, "She said a simple reason, that is, she hopes to have the last competition. It was in China, and I couldn't say no."
After arduous training, Tong Jian and Pang Qing re-entered the arena, used the song "Waiting for You" to draw a successful conclusion to their figure skating career, and left the arena from the podium.
After retiring, Tong Jian and Pang Qing devoted themselves to the popularization and promotion of ice and snow sports non-stop. They opened the "Love Skating" public welfare class, founded the Pang Qing Tong Jian Ice Art Center, and carried out ice cultural performances... Tong Jian sighed that it can make more Many people know about figure skating and feel happy.
On the day of the interview, Tong Jian and Pang Qing were still instructing the young students to train at the Ice Art Center named after them.
"In 2015, Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the dreams of generations of Chinese ice and snowmen have finally come true. This is inseparable from the development of the country and the improvement of China's international status. The success of the Beijing Winter Olympics has attracted young athletes in the face. The confidence shown in the interview has given many people a new understanding of sports." Tong Jian said.
Joining the Civil Revolution in 2018, Tong Jian has more opportunities to speak out.
"As a member of the democratic party, I hope to create more opportunities for young people to participate in international exchanges and contribute wisdom to the development of the entire ice and snow industry." Tong Jian said.
(Finish)