China has achieved the goal of driving 300 million people to the ice and snow. At present, the events of the Winter Olympics are running smoothly.

CCTV News:Today (February 6), the second regular press conference of the Games-time phase was held in the main media center of Beijing Winter Olympics. Relevant officials of the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee answered questions from Chinese and foreign journalists.

General Desk reporter Zhai Zhuang:I’m a reporter from CCTV, and I’d like to ask the spokesman, Mr. Zhao Weidong. At the beginning of China’s bid for the Winter Olympics, he made a solemn commitment to the international community to drive 300 million people to participate in the ice and snow sports. Some media have questioned that the popularity of ice and snow sports in China is low, the mass base is poor, and few people pay attention to the Winter Olympics. So, what is the popularity of ice and snow sports in China? Thank you.

Zhao Weidong, spokesman of BOCOG:Thank you for your question. It’s a very good question. Since the successful bid for the Winter Olympics in China, it can be said that its popularity has been accelerated, and we vigorously promote the ice and snow sports. At present, there are 654 standard ice rinks and 803 ski resorts in China from north to south. This figure is 317% and 41% higher than when bidding for the Winter Olympics in 2015. Statistics show that China has achieved the goal of driving 300 million people onto the ice and snow, and the number of people participating in the national ice and snow sports has reached 346 million.

Zhao Weidong also said that China participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1980. At that time, the number of athletes participating in the competition was 28, while the number of athletes participating in this Winter Olympics in China was 176.

Zhao Weidong, spokesman of BOCOG:This shows that China has been handed down from generation to generation in winter sports, and that China is a firm pursuer and activist of the Olympic ideal.

Han Zirong, the full-time vice chairman of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, said that all the events in the Winter Olympics are running smoothly.

Han Zirong, Full-time Vice Chairman of BOCOG:The overall operation of the event is stable and good. In terms of the guarantee of the competition, we insist on taking the athletes as the center, and provide good conditions for all athletes from the aspects of venue construction, training conditions, living security and medical rescue, so as to ensure that athletes can participate in the competition equally and safely. At present, we see that many athletes have given high praise and appreciation to accommodation, catering and track.

At the same time, Christopher Dolby, director of the Olympic Department of the International Olympic Committee, also gave positive comments on the conditions of various venues of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Christopher Dolby, Director of the Olympic Department of the International Olympic Committee:When you go to see the comments of some athletes, you may have read many comments. They praise the quality of the venue. Some people describe this condition as "paradise". We seldom hear such high comments. All of us are here (China) at this time, and the praise is really great.