Beijing organizers say met plan to popularize winter sports

BEIJING (AP) — A key concern when Beijing was bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games was the lack of a robust winter sports tradition in the country. Organizers countered by pointing to the vast potential for growth and now say they more than met their target of involving 300 million Chinese in skiing, hockey and other cold weather pastimes. Li Sen, the director general of the organizing committee’s planning department, says the goal of “engaging 300 million people in winter sports” has become a reality. Li said there was still plenty of room to grow.