Congress report inspires Olympic champion

Wang Shun, a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, poses for a photo in front of an exhibition wall. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Wang Shun, an Olympic swimming champion, has been impressed by the report delivered at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which commenced in Beijing on Oct 16.

The remarks in the report about speeding up China's transformation into a leading sporting nation has mapped out a path for the nation's sports development in the new era, said Wang, a delegate to the congress, in a recent interview.

He pointed out that China's leading role in sports should not only be reflected by gold medal wins in the international sports arena, but also in its contribution to the development of global sports.

Zhejiang's move to open 56 Asian Games venues to people for free after the major sporting event was postponed has been greatly appreciated by the public, he added.

The province has also launched a campaign to make exercise facilities and venues more accessible to local residents. The ultimate goal is to have a gym located within a 10-minute walk from every person residing in its urban areas and 15-minute walk for rural residents.

To date, 1,885 government-funded gyms, which are either free to use or have affordable fees, have been built across Zhejiang, according to Wang.

Born in Ningbo, a city in Zhejiang province, Wang started to learn swimming at the age of six.

In 2021, Wang won the 200m individual medley gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming China's first Olympic champion in the event.

That same year, the 27-year-old won six gold medals at the 14th National Games in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, bringing the total number of gold medals he has pocketed at the Games to 15, the highest among swimmers in the history of the national sports event.