15-02-2025
Chinese official says China needs to do better despite Asian Winter Games success
Feb 15 (Reuters) - China topped the final medal table at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin with a record haul on Friday but its delegation's head stressed the need for improvement if the country is to be competitive at the highest level.
The hosts won 32 golds - double the tally of nearest challengers South Korea - 27 silvers and 26 bronze to set a new medal-winning record at the end of the eight-day event.
Even so, Zhou Jinqiang, head of China's delegation at the Games and vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, called on athletes to raise standards ahead of the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo next year.
"While China's performance at the AWG was impressive, it still lags behind global standards in winter sports, with notable gaps in training, talent development, and the establishment of robust coaching and youth systems," Xinhua quoted him as saying.
In addition to clocking up a record-breaking total medal tally, China's gold medal haul equalled that achieved by Kazakhstan in 2011.
Nineteen of China's wins came in snow sports, the first time those disciplines delivered more victories than ice sports for Chinese athletes.
"This shift highlights the comprehensive development of China's winter sports since the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics," Zhou said.
Japan finished third in the medal table, which featured only nine of the 34 participating nations.
Kazakhstan won four gold medals to finish fourth while the Philippines claimed their first Asian Winter Games title, securing gold in the men's curling with victory over South Korea on Friday.
"This is a great achievement that opens the door for our country's first Winter Olympics medal," said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino.
