Legacy of Beijing 2022 lives on as Milan welcomes Games

As yet another Winter Olympics raises its curtain in Italy, the surging global anticipation for the ice and snow sports extravaganza owes a fair share of credit to the Games' previous host. Thanks to the promotion of winter sports in China leading up to Beijing 2022 and beyond, the Milano-Cortina 2026 edition, which opened at Milan's iconic San Siro Stadium on Friday night (local time), will have a massive new fan base tuning in to the 19-day celebration of athletic feats and friendship, with winter sports in general having engaged with at least 346 million new participants from China, a goal confirmed by official statistics in October 2021, and still counting. Just check the bustling scenes...