(Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday praised Chinese Olympic athletes for their performance and sportsmanship at the Paris Olympics, saying they had brought honor to the country and the people.
When meeting with the Chinese delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at the Great Hall of the People, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged Olympic athletes to redouble their efforts to build China into a sports power.
The Chinese team won 40 gold medals, 27 silver medals and 24 bronze medals in Paris, marking its best performance at an overseas Summer Olympics.
Xi noted that the excellent performance of the Chinese delegation has fully demonstrated the country’s strength in the new era.
The fundamental reason why China has joined the ranks of the world’s leading sporting nations and become a major Olympic player is the country’s growing national strength, he continued.
He stressed the importance of strong technological and material support for sports training, as well as a good environment and a broad base for developing talents in various sports.
The country will continue to promote the deep integration of national physical exercise and health initiatives, and steadily advance the goals of building China into a sports power and a healthy nation, he said.
The excellent performance of the Chinese delegation in Paris has carried forward the spirit of Chinese sports as well as the Olympic spirit, Xi said.
He praised the athletes for showing the world the profound heritage of traditional Chinese culture, presenting an open, inclusive, dynamic and enterprising image of modern China, and demonstrating the ambition, courage and determination of the Chinese people.
“The homeland and the people are proud of you and applaud you,” he noted.
The Chinese delegation has been committed to winning gold medals for morality, conduct and integrity, and has demonstrated sportsmanship and won wide respect and recognition, Xi said.
Noting that preparations for the upcoming Olympics have begun, Xi called on Chinese Olympic athletes to remain humble while improving their performance in training and competitions.
They must continue to excel in competitive sports, and contribute to promoting national physical exercise and the development of youth sports, he added.
Also attending the meeting were Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, as well as Vice President Han Zheng.
(Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
(Xinhua/Ju Peng)
(Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
