What they say

I walked away from the Canadian women’s team last year to return to China. Why? Because your athletes were my first coaching position and they are like family. When families came asking for help I said OK. I want curling to be healthy and strong in your country and I want our game to be strong in the world. It’s a beautiful game. For me the personal satisfaction is to get China to win its first gold medal (in 2022).

Marcel Rocque,

a Canadian coach of China’s national mixed doubles curling team Zhang Hong (retired gold medalist in women’s 1,000 m at 2014 Olympics) is a good skater and for me it’s a surprise if you look at the whole picture. You have to make a better system to raise up the younger ones and give them a good education to make the results happen not just by chance. It’s like a pyramid, you have to make a good foundation to build on, and it takes time. Peter Kolder, the Chinese national long-track speed skating coach from the Netherlands An athlete in Europe is more or less self-motivating. They just gather together in training camp for a week per month and then go home. Then I realized that in China you have athletes, open-minded and dedicated, staying together in a camp 11 months a year, which is super tough. I admire their work ethic and collectiveness.

Bjorn Kristiansen,

China’s national cross-country skiing head coach from Norway