(14th Winter) “Relying on the Motherland to Innovate Ice and Snow Sports”—Exclusive Interview with Pan Yongquan, Head of the Macao Delegation during the “14th Winter”

　　China News Service, Hulunbuir, February 27 (Reporter Li Aiping and Xing Chong) On the 26th, with the successful completion of the men's single figure skater He Zhixuan, the Macau Special Administrative Region delegation concluded all events of this Winter Games.

　　Although Macau is a southern city that is not “blessed” by ice and snow, it has participated in five Winter Games so far.

Pan Yongquan, head of the Macau SAR delegation and director of the Sports Bureau of the Macau SAR Government during the "14th Winter", said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service that the development of Macau sports cannot be separated from the country's strong support, and Macau's ice and snow sports have always relied on the innovation and development of the motherland. , there was an ice and snow craze after the Beijing Winter Olympics.

　　Pan Yongquan told reporters that since 2003, Macau athletes have begun to participate in the National Winter Games.

In the "14th Winter" competition, the Macao SAR delegation consists of 5 people, including 2 athletes participating in the adult figure skating event and 1 youth figure skating event.

"Although it failed to win the award, it has shown good training results."

The picture shows the Macao delegation attending the opening ceremony of the "14th Winter".

Photo by China News Service reporter Cui Nan

　　He Zhixuan, who was born in 1999, had previously participated in the "Thirteen Winters" figure skating youth competition. At that time, he was the only Macau athlete participating.

He told reporters that he clearly felt that after the Beijing Winter Olympics, more and more children in Macau were learning figure skating. This time he participated in the "14th Winter" and he "finally had teammates to fight alongside."

　　In recent years, Macao has taken the hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity to vigorously promote the development of sports, especially ice and snow sports.

Pan Yongquan said that many Macau citizens are now fond of indoor ice sports, which is the most intuitive manifestation of Macau's "ice and snow fever" after the Beijing Winter Olympics.

　　At the professional level, Pan Yongquan said that Macau players are mainly concentrated in figure skating, ice hockey and other fields.

Affected by objective factors, Macau athletes lack a training and competition environment, making it difficult to maintain competitive status. With the help of the State Sports General Administration, Beijing Sport University and local sports bureaus, Macau athletes are able to train in the mainland, such as in preparation for the Hangzhou Asian Games. , Macau cyclists have been training with mainland sports teams.

　　Relying on the motherland to develop sports has also benefited Macao's ice and snow athletes.

"The Macau ice rink is actually very small, but after training in Zhuhai, I am still very happy to stand on the '14th Winter' competition." said Huang Dongyou, a 17-year-old female single figure skater.

She started practicing figure skating at the age of 9. Through training and exchanges in the mainland, she competed in the Winter Games for the first time.

He Zhixuan also said that being able to participate in large-scale events such as the Winter Games will be of great help to his growth.

　　Pan Yongquan said that due to limitations such as Macao's climatic conditions, the development of ice and snow sports in Macao is still dominated by ice sports. The Macao SAR government is currently actively training young athletes to make a difference in ice sports.

"Through the hosting of local events, we can further enrich athletes' competition experience, and at the same time go out to learn from high-level athletes, thereby improving their competitive level."

　　Macao has the unique advantage of being a world center of tourism and leisure. It can not only contribute to the development of ice and snow sports, but also play an important role in promoting cultural exchanges between the East and the West, mutual learning between civilizations, and people-to-people bonds.

According to reports, Macao is currently promoting the in-depth integration of "sports + tourism", enriching sports tourism products and experiences, and making Macao's sports tourism industry bigger and stronger.

　　In 2025, the 15th National Games will be held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

Pan Yongquan said that this is a good sports exchange platform, which reflects the country's concern for the development of Macao's sports industry. Macao athletes will once again compete with high-level mainland athletes, exchange and learn.

　　"I am very much looking forward to the arrival of this day." Pan Yongquan said, welcoming athletes from all over the country to Macau to experience the excitement of competitive sports, and Macau will also welcome the arrival of athletes with its most beautiful side.

(over)