(Sports Focus) China aims high in winter Olympic sports

Which city, Almaty or Beijing, will be selected to host the 2022 Winter Olympics still remains as a big question. Yet one thing is certain - the bid will boost the world's most populous nation's drive in developing winter Olympic sports in future.

"Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will inspire the enthusiasm of engaging in winter sports across China, and even all over Asia," Liu Peng, the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) president, said during Beijing's presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Launsanne on Tuesday.

China has remoulded itself from a winter sport minnow to a competitive force since its Winter Olympics debut in 1980.

Claiming its first-ever Winter Olympic medal (a sliver) in Albertville 1992 and its first-ever gold at Salt Lake City 2002, China has collected 12 gold, 22 sliver and 19 bronze medals in the past 10 winter games.

Two years after its historic haul of 51 gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, China reached its peak in winter sports with 11 medals, of which five were gold, in Vancouver 2010. For the first time China finished among top 10 of the medals table at Winter Olympics.

So far, China has ever qualified to compete in 11 sports of the past Winter Olympics, namely short track speed skating, speed skating, figure skating, curling, ice hockey, freestyle skiing, alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and snowboarding.

Liu believes that China, a world power in summer sports, will also become a giant in winter sports as being promised in Beijing's bid file for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"The bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics will boost participation and involvement in winter sports across the country, open a bright future for winter sports in China, Asia and the world, as China has set off on an ambitious 'Long March' to get 300 million Chinese people involved in skiing and skating events," said Liu.

Liu's ideas were also echoed by some scholars. "The country is inspiring more and more people to play winter sports. If we can have a Winter Olympics on home soil, it will be a golden opportunity to boost winter sports in terms of government's support, and the competitive results will come naturally," said Yi Jiandong, a sports industry expert.

Statistics show imbalance in China's winter sport development -- ice sports are much stronger than snow. Eleven of the 12 golds and 45 of the 53 total medals came from ice competitions.

The statistics also show that most of the gold medals were won by women.

All in all, China is strong in some ice events and women's events, which need to be consolidated. Meanwhile, China needs to invest more in snow events and men's events. And the situation will be definitely turned around if Beijing wins the bid to host the 2022 Winter Sports. Endi