FOUR-TIME OLYMPIAN GRABS GOLD IN WOMEN’S AERIALS

Xu Mengtao claimed the women’s aerials freestyle skiing gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on February 14.

The four-time Olympian received 108.61 points for her final jump with three somersaults， which had a degree of difficulty of 4.293—the highest for female athletes. Hanna Huskova of Belarus took silver with 107.95 points， followed by Megan Nick of the U.S. with 93.76.

Xu already had 27 World Cup golds under her belt. She managed to bring home a silver medal from Sochi 2014.

Xu ruptured a ligament in her right knee when landing during China’s 2007 National Championships. She finished sixth and ninth at Vancouver 2010 and Pyeongchang 2018， respectively. Beijing 2022 marked Xu’s fourth Olympic appearance.

Yangcheng Evening News February 16

Acupuncture， cupping， herbs… The presence of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） elements in the Olympic Games has been one increasingly felt over the past years. During Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022， volunteers specialized in TCM offered their highquality healthcare services.

Athletes have come to understand the traditional methods and for good reason. TCM boasts of a unique theoretical system that can produce effective outcomes， a boon for those suffering muscle or joint trauma. The traditional medicine can also help relieve， or remove， any dull pains plaguing these athletes. Sometimes， this means they can perform better or even extend their athletic careers by several years.

TCM has been able to showcase its unique appeal in sports medicine thanks to the Olympic stage. But what it has shown there is only a tip of the iceberg. Hopefully the Games and similar events can lift the longstanding tried and tested methods to a modern， global level.

Outlook Weekly February 14

The Yangtze River is an important cradle of the Chinese nation. It used to be among the seven most bio-diverse rivers in the world， but due to years of overfishing and pollution， it had almost no fish roaming the water left.

Xuejiawa， a natural port on the eastern bank of the Yangtze in Anhui Province， was once a hub for illegal piers and polluting factories. Its dirty and chaotic pictures were ubiquitous， but today， tourists are flocking to its clean waters and thriving flora.

A 10-year fishing ban seems to have caused economic losses to the region， but the decade did suffice for two to three generations of fish in the river to multiply， critical to the restoration and protection of the stream’s overall ecosystem.

For such a big river， its upper and lower reaches are closely intertwined. They must shoulder the ecological costs together and dividends， too， are shared. Provinces through which the Yangtze， or its tributaries， flows， have jointly constructed clean water facilities， treated pollution and improved the general environment. For example， upstream， reservoirs were put in place to block floods and store water； midstream， adjustments were made so that flood storage areas could function effectively； downstream， channels to navigate floods into the sea are underway.

To respect Mother Nature， ceding ground to other beings and developing suitable agriculture today jointly paint a harmonious scroll picture along the river.

Guangming Daily February 16

During the first winter vacation following last year’s newly adopted policy to ease the burdens of excessive homework and off-campus tutoring for students in compulsory education， ads for all kinds of sports training began popping up everywhere.

For the most part， the students’ sports fever stems from today’s physical exercise scores having secured a spot on many a senior middle school admission test. But as the importance of sports is on the academic rise， so are the training fees.

The purpose of easing the burdens of homework is to encourage students to develop in an all-round way， not a shift to athletic tutoring. Moreover， huge demand entices many unqualified institutions to enter the market， posing a threat to students’ physical health and safety.

All in all， training for the sake of passing an exam is unlikely to make physical exercise a real habit.

Gao Tingyu became China’s first male Olympic speed skating champion when he took home the gold in the 500m event， setting a new Olympic record at the Beijing 2022 Games on February 12.

Gao， one of China’s flagbearers during the opening ceremony on February 4， clocked a winning time of 34.32 seconds at the National Speed Skating Oval， beating the previous Olympic mark of 34.41 seconds set by Haavard Holmefjord Lorentzen of Norway at Pyeongchang 2018.

Born in Yichun， Heilongjiang Province， Gao started skating at the age of 8. After making his mark in the junior ranks， he soon emerged as a strong contender on the international stage. He secured a bronze medal at Pyeongchang 2018.

On February 12， Gao raced in the seventh of 15 pairs， his Olympic record launching him to the top of the rankings.

“The U.S. is playing up the so-called‘China threat’ in order to suppress and contain China’s development. This fully exposes its deep-rooted Cold War mentality and ideological bias.”

Zhao Lijian， spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry， at a daily news conference on February 11

“Led by persons with disabilities， we can—and will—forge partnerships， expand access to inclusive， quality education and decent work， ensure healthy lives， and create a more inclusive， just and sustainable world for all.”

UN Secretary General António Guterres， at the opening of the Global Disability Summit via video link from UN headquarters in New York on February 16

“Tighter global financial conditions and shallow domestic debt markets in many developing countries are crowding out private investment and dampening recovery.”

World Bank Group President David Malpass， sharing his views as a new World Bank report was released on February 15

“Part of the reason why the Belt and Road Initiative got as far as it did is because China was filling a vacuum that the U.S. and others had created.”

Jennifer Hillman， senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations， during a recent webinar evaluating the initiative