Winter sports camp for talented Beijing kids opens

A winter sports training camp for primary and secondary school students in Beijing opened at the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports on Friday.

Part of the 14th Beijing Olympic Sports Culture Festival, the camp is being organized by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association and participants — 120 primary and secondary schools students aged between 10 and 14 with a solid foundation in winter sports — will undergo training over the next two weekends.

Gao Yunchao, deputy director of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, emphasized the association's commitment to long-term youth Olympic education and to organizing a range of activities throughout the year.

"The goal of hosting the camp is to engage young participants, improve their abilities, allow them to enjoy the pleasures of winter sports, stimulate their enthusiasm for regular physical exercise, and, in the process, cultivate willpower and nurture an Olympic spirit to achieve positive educational outcomes," Gao said.

The camp features Figure Skating, short-track speedskating, skiing and snowboarding. Notable coaches such as Yu Lijie, former head of the Chinese National Figure Skating Team, national Figure Skating champions Yang Fang and Liu Yan, as well as Yu Yongjun, world champion in short-track speedskating, will lead the training sessions.