Sound Bites
With the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference underway in Beijing, NPC deputies or CPPCC National Committee members who work in the sports sector have been offering plenty of suggestions and proposals. Here’s a look at some of those contributions.
Yang Yang, CPPCC National Committee member and retired two-time Olympic gold medalist
“I believe after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, ice and snow lovers in China will still participate in winter sports. So the safety of playing winter sports will be a focus. For the past five years, the coming Beijing Winter Games have allowed more and more people in China to embrace winter sports. We’re glad to see the growth of the winter sports population in our country, but we should also pay attention to the hidden dangers of playing these sports in order to ensure the safety of all participants.”
Zhang Haidi, CPPCC National Committee member and head of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation
“Beijing is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. I hope people can make friends here and leave with smiles on their faces. We are confident of staging Beijing 2022 as scheduled. All competition venues of Beijing 2022 have been completed. Competition organization and services, including transportation, medical treatment, catering and accommodation, have been implemented in an orderly manner.”
Yang Shu’an, NPC deputy and vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee “We are entering the final stage of preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. We still have a large amount of work to finish, especially in terms of COVID19 prevention measures. We need to work closely with different government departments and organizations.”
Wang Liqin, CPPCC National Committee member and vice-president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association
“The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming, so we should promote ice and snow culture and facilitate the development of winter sports in our country. We hope to stage an outstanding and exciting Winter Olympics for the world.”
Zou Kai, CPPCC National Committee member and five-time Olympic champion gymnast
“Our country has no shortage of elite athletes, but the problem now is how to build stronger and more solid foundations for our sports sector’s pyramid... All of our sports associations, at all levels, should make bigger contributions. The sports associations possess professional sports resources, and they should work closely with schools. Through more cooperation with schools, the sports associations can help nurture more sports teachers and help organize more sports events at grassroots level. The next generation will benefit from this.”
Zhang Ting, NPC deputy and notable former national diving team coach “After years of working on the frontline of nurturing the country’s talent, I realized that exemplary policy design is vital for a positive cycle to constantly produce sports talents and to ensure the healthier development of the next generation. We are glad to see that there have been more and more new polices to facilitate the sustainable sports development in our country in recent years.”
Xie Minhao, CPPCC National Committee member and sports medicine expert “To better promote the national fitness campaign, we should allow more people to do sports in more scientific ways, so there is a lot more work to do. We should also focus on the health and sports development of the next generation. Sports should be their lifestyle.”