China and the Winter Olympics
Text by Ruo Xi
Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games facilitated sports knowledge to spread widely in China. But, due to climate, winter Olympic sports remain far less popular. But few recall that China’s first modern Olympic participation was in winter, after the country regained its legal status with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1979.
The XIII Olympic Winter Games took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States, in 1980, and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) dispatched 28 athletes to compete in 18 events. In 1984, 37 athletes competed in 26 events. Chinese Taipei also sent 14 athletes. That year marked the first time that athletes from both sides of the Taiwan Straits participated in the Olympics together.
The XV Olympic Winter Games took place in Calgary, Canada, in 1988. China only sent a 20-person delegation to compete in three events offering chances at 18 gold medals. Li Yan won Women’s 1,000m and placed third in the 500m and 1,500m races in the debut of short-track speed skating, but in its debut, short-track skating was only presented as a demonstration event.
The XVI Olympic Winter Games were held in Albertville, France, in 1992. Finally, China took three silver medals to end its medal-less streak after resuming participation in the Olympic Winter Games. Female skater Ye Qiaobo captured silvers in 500m and 1,000m Speed Skating despite injury.
In 1986, the IOC voted to alternate the Summer and Winter Games every two years, so the XVII Olympic Winter Games took place in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, only two years after the 1992 Albertville Games. Along with more strong performances in speed skating, Chinese athletes made breakthroughs in figure skating, which was formerly dominated by Western skaters: Chen Lu won bronze in the event.
The XVIII Olympic Winter Games took place in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, where the Chinese team further improved by taking six silvers and two bronzes. The XIX Olympic Winter Games took place in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, and added 10 events to those presented in Nagano, the greatest number of events in the history of the Winter Olympics. Chinese short-track speed skater Yang Yang became the first Chinese athlete to win gold at the Winter Olympics.
China sent 176 athletes to the XX Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Finishing 14th overall, the team grabbed two gold, four silver and five bronze medals. In 2010 in Vancouver, the Chinese team won all four golds from women’s short-track speed skating. However, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo harvested gold medal in pairs figure skating, the first time the event slipped from Western domination. The XXII Olympic Winter Games took place in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. The Chinese delegation won three golds, four silvers, and two bronzes. When speed skater Zhang Hong captured gold, she shattered a 34-year-old curse on the Chinese speed-skating team.
Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo – Frozen Couple
Born in 1978 and 1973, respectively, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo first teamed up in figure skating in 1992. They first competed in the World Championships in 1994 and the Olympic Games in 1998, where they finished in 5th, marking their emergence as top competitors in pair skating, an event once dominated by Western players. At Salt Lake City’s games in 2002, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo attempted to become the first pair to land a thrown quadruple Salchow jump, but failed. They still won bronze, China’s first medal in pair skating. At the Turin Games in 2006, despite Zhao suffering from an injury, the pair snatched another bronze. Finally, in Vancouver, their dream of reaching the top podium came true in the first Olympics since the couple was married.
Wang Meng – Short-track Star
Born in 1984, Wang Meng was recruited by the Sports School of Heilongjiang Province to learn professional short-track speed skating. In 2002, Wang first competed in the World Youth Championship and medaled in the 500m, becoming the first Chinese youth champion in short-track speed skating. In 2006, Wang took gold in 500m at the Turin Olympics. In 2010, Wang Meng captured three golds in women’s 500m, 1,000m short-track and relay, becoming the first Chinese athlete to win three gold medals in a single Winter Olympics. An injury prevented her from competing in the Sochi Games in 2014.
Han Xiaopeng – Trailblazer
On February 23, 2006 at the Turin Olympic Winter Games, 24-year-old Han Xiaopeng wowed judges by completing two perfect aerial performances in freestyle skiing. In Winter Olympic Games, snow sports far outnumber ice sports, accounting for two thirds of total events. Winter sports powers such as the U.S., Germany, and Canada all dominate snow sports whereas China’s strength had been ice events. Of China’s 45 winter medals, only five came from snow sports. Han’s medal was big not only as a China’s breakthrough in snow sports, but also because it ended Chinese men’s winter gold-medal drought.
Li Yan – Top Athlete to Powerhouse Coach
In 1988, when short-track speed skating first appeared at the Winter Olympics in Calgary as a demonstration sport, she won the 1000m and set a new world record and finished third in the 500m and 1500m events. In 1992, after short-track skating became an official Olympic sport in Albertville, she won the silver medal in the 500m event. A pioneer of Chinese short-track skating, Li was even more impressive with her performance as a coach. After 1999, she successively served as trainer of Slovak and Austrian teams and helped them improve greatly. Li was even introduced to the Slovak president in honor of her work. In 2003, Li became coach of American national short-track speed skating team. In 2005, she was named the U.S. Speed Skating Coach of the Year. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Li’s protégé Apolo Anton Ohno won gold in the men’s 500m, which was formerly dominated by South Korea. In 2006, she became coach of Chinese National Short-Track Speed Skating Team and guided the team to great showings in both the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games, consolidating China’s strength in short-track skating.
Source: China Pictorial
