Interest in winter sports snowballing in Yangpu

Ti Gong

Ice and snow sports have become a new option and way of life for people throughout the country since the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games officially opened on February 4.

During Spring Festival, while feeling the charm of ice and snow sports, Yangpu residents refueled for the Winter Olympics and ignited a new upsurge in ice and snow sports.

At the Champion ice rink in Bailian Youyicheng Shopping Mall, many people enjoyed the speed and passion of ice and snow sports. Veterans wore skates and drew perfect arcs on the ice.

Novices held on to a wall and staggered but were happy even if they fell several times.

"My son likes Wu Dajing very much, so I take him to the ice rink to experience ice and snow sports," a man surnamed Sun said.

Sun and his family pay close attention to the Winter Olympics and cheer for Chinese athletes.

"Driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports" is a solemn commitment made by China to the international community when it bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Yangpu played its part and celebrated the opening of the Winter Olympics and the establishment of Yangpu District Ice and Snow Sports Association in the Champion ice rink on February 4.

The association will take six schools in Yangpu as top seeds and other member schools as the basis to create a training echelon, and establish a youth ice and snow sports team with about 50 athletes and a preparation team with about 200 backups.

Players will receive professional and systematic training and competition to strengthen the talent pool and strive to participate in the 15th National Winter Games on behalf of Yangpu.

"In line with the layout of combining physical education with the actual needs of the school, we opened the first afterschool ice and snow campus at Kongjiang Middle School last October with a unified teaching plan," said Gu Zhengjun, chairman of the Yangpu District Ice and Snow Sports Association.

The association will continue to distribute professional strength ("distribute professional strength" is vague. Please re-word so it's more clear) in schools for echelon training so more students are exposed to ice and snow sports, according to Gu.

In order to create a good atmosphere for supporting the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and fully meet diversified ice and snow sports demand, Yangpu will carry out a series of theme activities to promote ice and snow sports.

At the same time, it will use old factory buildings to reconstruct ice and snow venues and contribute to a strong and healthy China.