Zhou Jinqiang, vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee and head of the Chinese delegation, has commended the performance of Chinese athletes at the 9th Asian Winter Games, which concluded on Friday in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.

China achieved significant success, sending its largest-ever delegation of 170 athletes who participated in all 64 events across 11 disciplines and six sports.

The host nation finished the Games with a total of 32 gold, 27 silver, and 26 bronze medals, securing the top position in both gold medals and overall medal standings.

Zhou noted that the 32 gold medals equals the record for the most won in a single edition of the Asian Winter Games, matching Kazakhstan's achievement in 2011. Furthermore, the overall medal count of 85 marks a new record, surpassing Kazakhstan's prior record of 70 medals.

Gold medals were won in a range of events, with 13 awarded in ice sports and 19 in snow sports, signaling a shift in dominance.

Notably, for the first time, snow sports outperformed ice sports in terms of gold medals won, with significant victories in speed skating, freestyle skiing, and ski mountaineering.

Zhou attributed this success to the advancements made in China’s winter sports since the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The delegation chief highlighted the emergence of young talent in winter sports, noting outstanding performances from athletes such as Zhang Xiaonan (18) in women's snowboard slopestyle, Xiong Shirei (17) in women's snowboard big air, Li Xinpeng (20) in men's freestyle skiing aerials, and Liu Mengting (20) in both women’s freeski slopestyle and big air.

Zhou emphasized the importance of these athletes gaining confidence and laying a solid foundation for the future of their disciplines in China.

Despite the success at the Asian Winter Games, Zhou acknowledged the necessity for continued development in preparation for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games in 2026. He remarked that while China's achievements in Harbin were commendable, the country still has areas that require improvement, particularly in training, talent development, and building robust coaching structures and youth systems.

Zhou pointed out that while China has shown dominance in specific sports like short track speed skating, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding, challenges remain in other areas, such as figure skating, where development has not kept pace with international competitiveness.

Looking ahead, Zhou expressed the need for strategic efforts to address these gaps as China aims to enhance its standing in global winter sports.