The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games began on February 6. Athletes from around the world, including China, are competing in various games during the 25th Winter Olympics. To commemorate this grand international sporting event, Women of China recently interviewed Yang Yang, the legendary Chinese short-track speed skater. Yang was China's first Winter Olympic champion, when she competed at the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002. Currently, she is Vice-President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and she serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). "Sports gives me strength, leading me to be a firm believer in the spirit and values advocated by sports games. Whatever the occasion, the spirit of sports is a key part of my mind," Yang says.
Yang was a delegate at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women (GLMW), held in Beijing, in October 2025. During the meeting, she shared her thoughts about promoting gender equality through sports. Given the joint efforts made by the international community, she noted, the proportion of women and men athletes, who competed during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, reached 50-50.
Yang, who retired in 2006, at the age of 31, competed in three Winter Olympics. She says she is glad to see an increasing number of Chinese are showing enthusiasm for winter sports. "For quite a long time, Chinese women athletes have been proving their ability to excel in competitive sports. Their courage and strong sense of responsibility have motivated them to make outstanding contributions to the development of sports in China. Meanwhile, women athletes have received great support, provided by our country to secure their excellent performances during various competitions," Yang said, during the recent interview.
Women Set Good Examples in Sports
Since the 24th Olympic Winter Games, held in Beijing in 2022, Yang says ice and snow games have grown increasingly popular in China. "We were wowed by several women athletes, such as Xu Mengtao and Gu Ailing, who exceled in challenging moves of superior difficulty, while they competed in the Beijing Games four years ago. It was from the good examples set by those women athletes that many people started to realize what women can achieve in winter sports. It's great to see ice and snow games are becoming the 'fashion,' especially for younger generations," Yang says.
Yang is a native of Qitaihe, a city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. A dozen Olympic gold-medal winners and world champions, combined, have come from the small city, located in eastern Heilongjiang. Yang says the top women athletes from Qitaihe have encouraged young women to work hard and do their part to break gender-based stereotypes within the sports sector.
Yang says it is not easy for an athlete to earn a precious opportunity to compete in the Winter Olympics. It is even more difficult for an athlete to compete in successive Winter Olympics, and more so to complete in three consecutive winter games. "During this year's Winter Olympics, in Italy, we will see several experienced athletes from China, who continue to compete in short-track speed skating or figure skating. They are fighting for the honor of our country. They are showing the charms and true value of sports," Yang says.
As a national committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Yang has suggested integrating sports into children's school education and everyday lives. "I hope our next generation will learn the aim of participating in sports is not just to reach a good score during a physical exam. We ought to help children develop their interest in sports. We should introduce more sports in schools, enabling children to find the games they like," Yang says. It is more important, she adds, for children to stay healthy — both physically and mentally.
Sports Help Women Shine, Be Confident
During GLMW, Yang communicated with delegates, especially women delegates, from around the world. She noted sports can break "barriers" among people from different nations, and from different cultures. "In the workplace, we have seen many women, playing leadership roles, who have developed the habit of taking part in regular physical training. Sports gives them confidence. Their success has motivated other women to overcome obstacles, and to shine in their fields," Yang says.
On October 14, 2025, the unveiling ceremony of the Global Center for Women's Capacity Building was held at China Women's University (CWU), in Beijing. Yang attended, and also participated in a roundtable dialogue, themed "Writing a New Chapter in Global Women's Development." As director of CWU's research center on women and sports, Yang explained how sports can help women achieve healthy development.
During the roundtable session, she recalled a 2024 tour with UNHCR, when she visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp, in northwestern Kenya. While at the camp, Yang walked into a women's school, and she played chess with the students. She recalled how one of the young girls said she dreamed of becoming a doctor. Yang also said there was a girls' football team, with more than 20 members, and the team was able to win when it could have matches against teams in the community. "Despite the tough living conditions, the brave girls refused to stop running. Their excellent performances, during the games, made their voices heard. They not only encouraged other women living in the camp, they also proved to the world that refugees have strength and talent too. As long as they are provided with opportunities, they will bring positive influence upon the community," Yang says.
In June 2016, Thomas Bach, then-President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced the establishment of a "Refugee Olympic team." Since then, Yang has focused on the impact of sports on refugees' lives. She got involved in cooperative initiatives launched by IOC and UNHCR. She was formally appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR in 2023. "Sports can bring people of different races together, and can increase mutual trust and understanding, to benefit common development of our communities," Yang says.
Now shouldering a new responsibility with CWU, Yang is looking forward to giving full play to the role of the university's research center on women and sports. "CWU attaches great importance to sports education. During summer vacations, we have organized students to provide aid in schools, located in remote areas in Guizhou Province (in southwest China) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (in northwest China). We have helped girl students establish football teams. I believe the cultivation of interest in sports will help girls grow up healthily. Educational support in sports will help young women be more confident, and willing to shine."
Photos from Interviewee and Zhang Jiamin
(Women of China English Monthly February 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
