Sports Replay: Yang upbeat about Beijing Winter Games

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Speaking with CGTN’s special year-end program “Sports Replay”, Yang Yang, a former Olympics gold medalist and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said she has confidence in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Yang Yang shared her opinions on Russia’s doping scandal as well as the future of Chinese winter sports.

In 2016, Russia was found by an international panel to have engaged in systematical doping and has been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Yang Yang was one of the members of the Discipline Commission and they worked on the issue for 17 months for the purpose of protecting the Olympics’ integrity.

“The Russians, no matter what they claim, they need make sure they have the responsibility to take care of the clean system,” said the former speed skater.

The logo of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. /VCG Photo

She said that hopefully Russia can do better and come back to the Olympic family as soon as possible.

As winter sports hasn’t been a part of Chinese culture, Yang Yang believes that China needs time to build up expertise.

Besides the promotions done to attract the public to winter sports, an increasing number of children have already joined in. “I have very much confidence we can get there,” she said.

In 2017, Chinese athletes won two gold medals in short track and one from figure skating.

Regarding the 2022 Games, Yang said they have two goals – “firstly, of course we want a better result, and secondly we want to participate in all sports in winter.”

For the 2018 edition, Yang said that it would be really hard because S. Korea has always been one of China's biggest competitors.

“We still have a very good chance to win gold medals,” Yang said, “they are beautiful sports, and at the end, it is about how much you enjoy the sports.”