Olympic Council official highlights growing influence of winter sports in Asia

Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia, highlighted the significant growth of winter sports in Asia, citing China's rapid progress and the increasing involvement of tropical regions in the sport.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, Timothy Fok, a member of the International Olympic Committee and president of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's Olympic Committee, discussed the growing impact of winter sports on Asia.

"I was very touched, as you know that we had the Beijing Olympic Games [in 2008], everybody remembers. And when Beijing got the Winter Olympic Games, it was already mentioned that 300 million people should enjoy those games [by engaging in ice and snow sports]. And that's true. Now, not only [is] China's development all over with wonderful facilities [being built], even places like Hong Kong were inspired to do well. And like you mentioned, a lot of [nations] actually in Asia, the tropical countries, now they are sending teams and actually getting results. And lastly, you mentioned that Saudi Arabia in the far part [of Asia] is known for desert sports. But now they have the aspiration and the imagination to do that [in ice and snow sports]," said Fok.

In a separate interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on Friday, Fok emphasized that the Asian Winter Games has played a vital role in fostering connections between Asia and the global community, and expressed his hope that the event will serve as a catalyst for international cooperation, ultimately leading to a brighter future for all nations.

Olympic Council official highlights growing influence of winter sports in Asia

China's foreign exchange reserves stood at 3.3421 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of March 2026, down 85.7 billion dollars, or 2.5 percent, from the end of February, official data showed on Tuesday.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange noted that in March, the U.S. dollar index rose, while prices of major global financial assets declined, influenced by the global macroeconomic environment, monetary policies of major economies, and market expectations.

The combined effects of exchange rate conversion and changes in asset prices led to a decrease in China's foreign exchange reserves during the month, the administration said.

China's economy registered steady and improving performance during the period, with new and higher-quality development momentum. Its steady performance provided solid support for keeping the scale of the country's foreign exchange reserves basically stable, according to the administration.

China's foreign exchange reserves decline in March