Countdown to Beijing 2022 | Winter Olympics education reaches deep into Beijing's schools

BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Students at Beijing's Dianchang Road Primary School are reaching the core of the Olympics, both geographically and spiritually.

Located only 1,000 meters away from the headquarters of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG), Dianchang Road Primary School, one of Beijing's 200 model schools for Olympic education, is privileged to promote Olympic education on the campus.

In the school's playground, 5th-grade student Chen Sanbao took aim at the target with a plastic imitation gun, showcasing the discipline of biathlon for his classmates.

"I have learned the event knowledge as well as skills from the Chinese national team," said the 11-year-old. "Now I am a 'little tutor' tasked with teaching my schoolmates."

According to Principal Xue Dong, the school has organized winter sport exercises ranging from ice hockey, cross-country skiing, and curling to speed skating every semester for students since 2016.

In December last year, a real-ice curling field was put into use at Dianchang Road Primary School. Wang Bingyu, ex-captain of China's world curling championship-winning team who now works at BOCOG's sports department, has come constantly to instruct the school's curling team.

"I am truly excited, as we can curl on the campus now," said the 4th-grade student Wang Xinmo.

Apart from adding winter-sport practice to the curriculum, Dianchang Road Primary School is also a pioneer in the Olympic education program as values like friendship, fair play, and a never give-up attitude are taught in classes alongside patriotism.

On February 4, which marked the one-year countdown to the start of the 2022 Winter Games, every student and teacher recorded a video to express their wishes and expectation for the Games.

"Through various campus activities, we hope that our students can experience the charm of winter sports and get a real sense of Olympic participation," Xue said.