Ice hockey veterans reignite old passion
Inspired by Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, ‘Team 1979’ regroups and returns to the rink
When their ice hockey club was disbanded over four decades ago, no one in the current Team 1979 could have believed they would be lacing up their skates again in retirement age. But thanks to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the veterans are back on the ice.
Although not as quick and competitive as they once were, their enthusiasm for the sport remains the same — and now they are determined to pass on that spirit to the next generation.
“We call our team 1979 because our original team was disbanded that year. Through our story, we want people to know that Beijing has a history of developing ice hockey,” team captain Mei Chunhui told reporters.
“We are the same group of players — just with more wrinkles!”
The team’s origins date back to the 1970s, when Shichahai Sports School formed an ice hockey squad, selecting players from more than 200 candidates. Back then, indoor training venues were unimaginable for most of the players, so instead they practiced on frozen lakes during winter, and on roller skates during summer.
Success, though, proved elusive at national level, and after funds and interest from the public dried up, the team was disbanded in 1979.
The players, mostly 17 or 18 years old at the time, went off to pursue new lives and quit ice hockey.
“I still remember that time. We had classes in the morning and we headed out for training after school. We would eagerly wait for winter to arrive, so we could actually play ice hockey on the frozen lake,” recalled team member Huang Yijun.
Through the years, the players’ passion for ice hockey endured but lay dormant — until Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Inspired by the buzz surrounding the Games and the country’s winter sports push, Team 1979 was established with just nine members in 2015.
Now, it includes more than 20 veteran players, most aged around 60, who play twice a week.
Many of the veterans are moving into coaching or refereeing as they seek to nurture young talent on the ice. The new blood has seen the team’s ranks swell to over 40 players.
“Since Beijing won the bid to host the Winter Olympics, the number of ice hockey rinks in the city has grown dramatically. Now we have much better conditions to play,” Huang said.
Team 1979 is just one example of how Beijing 2022 has facilitated the growth of winter sports in China.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the promotion of winter sports leading up to Beijing 2022 resulted in 346 million Chinese participating in ice and snow sports and related leisure activities.
A total of 654 standard ice rinks and 803 ski resorts were operating in China by the start of last year, marking expansion of 317 percent and 41 percent respectively from 2015.
“The Winter Olympics arrived in China, and we old folks wanted to contribute to the Games. By reforming the ice hockey team, at least we have shown that our passion for sports is still there and we are still chasing our dreams,” said Team 1979’s Li Honghai.