Lasting passion for the Olympic values

Its youth engagement and educational initiatives, most of which continued through to 2025, have inspired young people across the country to learn about the Olympic Games, ensuring a lasting legacy in this area.

Thanks to the programme, curricula at China’s primary and secondary schools now include Olympic education, winter sports history, and winter sports tasters. Introductions to winter sports coaching are also available for budding trainers.

In the north, where winter sports are easier to access, residents can enrol in classes in skiing, ice skating, ice hockey, curling and other Olympic disciplines. “Dry land” versions of these sports have been made available elsewhere in the country, allowing people to take theory classes, interactive training and courses focusing on the Olympic values, such as fair play, respect, tolerance and peace.

Olympic Education Demonstration Schools have also been set up, along with Heart to Heart Schools, which provide Olympic education in a variety of forms and broaden the knowledge and capabilities of primary and secondary school students.

Events and competitions have been set up to allow young people to showcase their skills. Some 118 schools and more than 1,900 players take part in the Beijing Inter-School Hockey League, while over 1,700 children take part in the annual Mini Winter Olympics.

The Olympic curriculum has also been extended to schools for children with special needs, with programmes being adapted for students with disabilities. In addition, significant investments have been made in creating more accessible venues and ensuring equal access.

Beijing 2022 also provided an opportunity to raise awareness about access to facilities and Para sports, promote inclusiveness and break down barriers between people with disabilities and the rest of society. Once again, school curricula reflect these aims, with efforts being made to help students experience and understand the training methods of Para athletes. In trying their hand at wheelchair basketball and blind running, young people follow the same drills as Para athletes.

These efforts have been supplemented by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s global education programme I’mPOSSIBLE, which aims to introduce learners aged 6-18 to inclusion through the Paralympic values, Para sports and the inspirational achievements of Para athletes. I’mPOSSIBLE education materials were distributed to 1,036 schools with winter sports programmes, along with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) toolkit.