Team China excels on and off the field at 2026 Games

Team China has "achieved excellence" both on and off the field in Milan, Italy, over the past two weeks, said Tong Lixin, deputy head of the Chinese delegation at Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The nation celebrated its best showing at an overseas Winter Olympic Games, winning five gold, four silver and six bronze medals to surpass the previous 5-2-4 record at Vancouver 2010.

The stellar performance drew praise from the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, the country's Cabinet, which sent a congratulatory message to the Chinese delegation on Monday.

"United as one and striving for excellence, you demonstrated tenacity and superb skills, showcasing the positive and uplifting spirit of Chinese sports," the letter read. "You competed fairly, engaged in friendly exchanges and enhanced friendship with athletes from all over the world, once again presenting to the world the strength, spirit and image of China in the new era.

"We hope you will always bear in mind the mission of winning glory for the country and continue to scale new heights."

China had sent 126 athletes to compete across seven sports and 91 events at Milano-Cortina 2026, making the country's largest-ever delegation and most extensive event participation at overseas Winter Games. It had to wait until the second week of the competition for its first gold though.

Su Yiming, the flagbearer of Team China at Sunday's closing ceremony, set off a mini gold rush by winning the men's snowboarding slopestyle on Wednesday. Speed skater Ning Zhongyan then ousted favorite Jordan Stolz of the United States to win the men's 1,500m with a new Olympic record of 1:41.98.

Five-time Olympian Xu Mengtao defended her women's aerials title, before her husband Wang Xindi won the men's event, making them one of the very few married couples to not only claim individual Olympic titles at the same Games, but also do so in the same sport and discipline.

To cap it all, by defending her women's freeski halfpipe crown on the final day, Gu Ailing became the most decorated freeskier in Olympic history, with three golds and three silvers across two Winter Games.

"They successfully accomplished all their competitive tasks, achieving excellence in both athletic performance and sportsmanship, showcasing the flourishing development of China's ice and snow sports," said Tong, the deputy head of the delegation.

However, he noted that while the successes should be celebrated, there is still room for improvement.

"Measured against the task of consolidating China's status as an Olympic powerhouse and the goal of building a strong sporting nation, we are soberly aware that China's overall lag in ice and snow sports globally has not changed, nor has its role as a'chaser'," he said, adding, "The high-intensity competition witnessed at this Winter Olympics calls for further enhancement of our international competitiveness in ice and snow sports." He expressed the hope that the successes in Italy will inspire more young people to get involved in winter sports.

There were also gains in cultural exchanges. Veteran figure skaters Han Cong and Sui Wenjing embraced the opportunity presented by their third and final Olympics appearance to bring to life Chinese arts and culture, skating to drama melody A Tapestry of a Legendary Land and leveraging Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng's masterpiece Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains. They transported the crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena into a world of ancient Chinese aesthetics that felt both timeless and alive.

"Coming into our third Olympics, one of our main goals, while trying for another medal, was to promote the beauty of Chinese culture," said Sui, who choreographed the program herself. "We'd like to introduce Chinese culture to the world, so that athletes from other cultures can learn about it," said Han.

It seems the competition took note. During her free skate team event, Canadian Madeline Schizas adopted Butterfly Lovers, citing her affection for the Chinese concerto.

"It's a love story — the Chinese Romeo and Juliet," she said. "So often there's a really Western view in the music we skate to. I was excited to bring something different here."

While the Games have concluded, Milan will remain in a celebratory mood, marking the Chinese New Year with its annual Dragon Parade on March 1 at Piazza Sempione in front of the Arco della Pace, where the Olympic flame was extinguished on Sunday.

Contact the writers at sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn