President stresses importance to boost less-developed sports

President Xi Jinping has called on Chinese athletes to live up to the Olympic spirit and help develop the country into a global sports power, as the Sochi Winter Olympics opened in Russia on Friday.

Xi made the remarks on Friday at a meeting with more than 50 representatives of Chinese athletes and coaches competing at the Games, before attending the event's opening ceremony.

President Xi Jinping shares a light moment with some Chinese athletes attending the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on Friday. Huang Jingwen / Xinhua

China sent 66 athletes in 49 events in four sports - skating, curling, skiing and biathlon. They joined more than 6,000 athletes from about 90 countries and regions to compete in the event that ends on Feb 23.

Xi stressed that China still lags behind the world's elite level in sports such as soccer and volleyball, despite its strengths in other sports and breakthroughs in winter events.

"Only by setting ambitious goals and working hard to catch up with the world's best in our less-developed events, can China develop into a strong country in the global sports scene," Xi said.

Xi said he also expected Chinese athletes to do their best in Sochi without caring too much of "how many medals they could win" and focus on "carrying out the Olympic spirit to establish a positive international image" for the country's bid to host the 2022 Winter Games.

In November, Beijing and neighboring city Zhangjiakou in Hebei province announced a joint bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics with Beijing to host events staged on ice, and Zhangjiakou, about 200 km northwest of the capital, hosting snow events.

Athletes said they felt motivated by the president's talk.

"The president's remarks were truly inspirational," said Wang Bingyu, captain of China's world champion female curling team.

"We can feel the country is paying more attention to winter sports."

Tong Jian, a veteran figure skater who is competing at his third Winter Olympics in Sochi with partner Pang Qing, said he would focus on cultivating young talent following his retirement after hearing the president's call to promote winter sports.

"Helping more children, especially those from southern areas, to realize their winter sports dreams will be my duty in the future," he said.

Xi's Sochi trip is the first time a Chinese president has attended a major overseas sports event.

His presence at the Games proved the country's support for the Olympic movement and his emphasis on fostering winter sports in China will play a significant role in boosting the bid for the 2022 Games, experts said.

"Xi's appearance made a top Chinese leader accessible to members of the International Olympic Committee and helped them better understand the development of the Olympic movement in China," said Wei Jizhong, former secretary-general of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

After arriving in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Thursday, Xi met International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at a reception, where he also exchanged views on common issues of concern and sports development with leaders from other countries.

Xi stressed China's willingness to host the Winter Olympics and welcomed Bach to attend the second Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in August.

Xi told Bach that China hopes to use the bid to popularize winter sports in China while promoting fitness among the public.

The Sochi trip was the latest evidence of Xi's concern for the development of Chinese sports, following a meeting with athletes and other notable sports figures prior to last year's Chinese National Games.

He has also had meetings with sports officials and experts on many occasions to hear their suggestions on improving the nation's poor performance in sports such as soccer.

Zhang Qing, a sports sociologist and founder of sports consulting company Key-Sports, hailed Xi's interest in sports.

"Reform in China's sports system lags behind those in the economy and industry, and the top leader's attention will definitely push local sports authorities and event governing bodies to pay more attention to reform," Zhang said.

Contact the writers at wujiao@chinadaily.com.cn and sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn