Their sporting dominance is all the more striking after winning just a solitary medal eight years ago but no country can match them now
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ith two days of competition left at the Winter Paralympics there is no doubt who will finish top of the medal table. At close of play on Friday, China had a total of 33 medals, the same as their nearest rivals the USA and Italy combined. They have won gold in four of the Games’ six sports – cross-country skiing, curling, snowboarding and biathlon – and are in line for a medal in para-ice hockey too. This sporting dominance is all the more striking because, only eight years ago, China was nowhere.
At the Pyeongchang Games, the Chinese won a solitary medal, gold in the mixed team curling. Three of that team are competing here at Milano Cortina and a fourth, Wang Meng, already has a gold medal around her neck after winning the inaugural mixed doubles alongside her partner Yang Jinqiao. “I’m very, very proud, very, very honoured, and also very grateful,” she said after beating the Korean pair 9-6 following a tie-break end. “I’m so grateful to so many people who have helped us along the way, and [to be] finally standing on this podium”.
Meng’s reference to the support she has received will be directed in part to the staff of the National Ice Sports Arena for People with Impairments in Beijing. Covering more than 13,000 sq meters, the centre was opened in 2020 and is a hub not only for the development of elite athletes in curling and other winter sports, but for ordinary people with disabilities who wish to try out and learn about para-sport. A striking building that resembles a pair of wings, it was a central venue at the Beijing games four years ago. It was also just one part of a network of 40 similar venues that had been built across the country.
