List of flag bearers for China at the Olympics
Table:
#
Event year
Season
National flag
Flag bearer
Sport

23
2014
Winter

Zhou Yang
Short track speed skating

22
2016
Summer

Lei Sheng
Fencing

21
2014
Winter

Tong Jian
Figure skating

20
2012
Summer

Yi Jianlian
Basketball

19
2010
Winter

Han Xiaopeng
Freestyle skiing

18
2008
Summer

Yao Ming
Basketball

17
2006
Winter

Yang Yang (A)
Short track speed skating

16
2004
Summer

Yao Ming
Basketball

15
2002
Winter

Zhang Min
Figure skating

14
2000
Summer

Liu Yudong
Basketball

13
1998
Winter

Zhao Hongbo
Figure skating

12
1996
Summer

Liu Yudong
Basketball

11
1994
Winter

Liu Yanfei
Speed skating

10
1992
Summer

Song Ligang
Basketball

9
1992
Winter

Song Chen
Speed skating

8
1988
Summer

Song Tao
Basketball

7
1988
Winter

Zhang Shubin
Figure skating

6
1984
Summer

Wang Libin
Basketball

5
1984
Winter

Zhao Shijian
Speed skating

4
1980
Winter

Zhao Weichang
Speed skating

Consulting the following table and the article excerpts listed below.

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The 2018 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ; Korean : 제23회 동계 올림픽 , romanized : Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpik ) and commonly known as PyeongChang 2018 , was an international winter multi-sport event that was held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County , Gangwon Province , South Korea , with the opening rounds for certain events held on 8 February 2018 , the day before the opening ceremony . Pyeongchang was elected as the host city in July 2011 , at the 123rd IOC Session in Durban , South Africa . This was the second time that South Korea had hosted the Olympic Games , having previously hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul , but it was only the first Winter Olympics to be held in the country . It was the first of three consecutive Olympics to be held in East Asia , the following two being Tokyo 2020 ( summer ) and Beijing 2022 ( winter ) . It was the third time that an East Asian country had hosted the Winter Games , after Sapporo ( 1972 ) and Nagano ( 1998 ) , both of these cities in Japan . It was also the first Winter Olympics to be held in mainland Asia . The Games featured 102 events over 15 disciplines , a record number of events for the Winter Games . Four events made their Olympic debut in 2018 : big air snowboarding , mass start speed skating , mixed doubles curling , and mixed team alpine skiing . A total of 2,914 athletes from 92 NOCs competed , including the national debuts of Ecuador , Eritrea , Kosovo , Malaysia , Nigeria and Singapore . After a state-sponsored doping program was exposed following the 2014 Winter Olympics , the Russian Olympic Committee was suspended , but selected athletes were allowed to compete neutrally under the special IOC designation of Olympic Athletes from Russia ( OAR ) . North Korea agreed to participate in the Games despite tense relations with South Korea ; the two nations paraded together at the opening ceremony as a unified Korea , and fielded a unified team ( COR ) in the women 's ice hockey . Norway led the total medal tally with 39 , followed by Germany 's 31 and Canada 's 29 .
Zhou Yang ( Chinese : 周洋 ; pinyin : Zhōu Yáng ; Mandarin pronunciation : [ ʈʂóu jǎŋ ] ; born 9 June 1991 ) is a female Chinese short track speed skater . She won the gold medal in the 1500 m event at the 2010 Winter Olympics . She also won the Gold Medal in 1500m event at 2014 Sochi Olympics . Zhou added another gold medal on the Chinese 3000 m relay team . She set a new world and Olympic record in the 1,000 m semifinal . She was bestowed the honour of the national flag bearer for China at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang , South Korea as China 's most decorated active winter Olympian with 3 gold medals from previous Olympics , after Yang Yang and Wang Meng who have retired from the sport .
Short track speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung , South Korea . The eight events were scheduled to take place between 10 and 22 February 2018 .
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( Portuguese : Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016 ) , [ a ] officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( Portuguese : Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada ) and commonly known as Rio 2016 , was an international multi-sport event that was held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , with preliminary events in some sports beginning on 3 August . These were the first Olympic Games ever to be held in South America and the fourth to be held in a developing country , after the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico , the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union , and the 2008 Summer Olympics in China . More than 11,000 athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees took part , including first time entrants Kosovo , South Sudan , and the Refugee Olympic Team . With 306 sets of medals , the games featured 28 Olympic sports , including rugby sevens and golf , which were added to the Olympic program in 2009 . These sporting events took place at 33 venues in the host city and at five separate venues in the Brazilian cities of São Paulo , Belo Horizonte , Salvador , Brasília , and Manaus . These were the first Summer Olympic Games to take place under the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) presidency of Thomas Bach . The host city Rio de Janeiro was announced at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen , Denmark , on 2 October 2009 . Rio became the first South American city ever to host the Olympic Games . These were the first games to be held in a Portuguese-speaking country , the first summer edition to be held entirely in the host country 's winter season , the first since 1968 to be held in Latin America , and the first since 2000 to be held in the Southern Hemisphere . The United States topped the medal table , winning the most gold and overall medals , 46 and 121 , as well as its 1,000th Summer Olympic gold medal overall . Great Britain finished second and became only the second country in modern Olympic history to increase its tally of medals in the Olympiad immediately after it had been host nation . China finished third .
Lei Sheng ( Chinese : 雷声 ; pinyin : Léi Shēng ; born 7 March 1984 ) is a Chinese foil fencer , Olympic champion at the 2012 Summer Olympics and twice team world champion at the 2010 and 2011 World Fencing Championships .
The fencing competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 6 to 14 August at the Carioca Arena 3 inside the Barra Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca . Around 212 fencers ( an equal distribution between men and women ; and eight came from the host nation Brazil ) competed in 10 events ( six individual and four team ) . Similar to 2008 and 2012 , the International Fencing Federation maintained the format of ten events and the rotation system , as the men 's team sabre and the women 's team foil have been dropped from the program only at these Games .
The 2014 Winter Olympics , officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XXIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) ( Russian : XXII Олимпийские зимние игры , tr . XXII Olimpiyskiye zimniye igry ) and commonly known as Sochi 2014 , was an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi , Krasnodar Krai , Russia , with opening rounds in certain events held on the eve of the opening ceremony , 6 February 2014 . Both the Olympics and 2014 Winter Paralympics were organized by the Sochi Organizing Committee ( SOOC ) . Sochi was selected as the host city in July 2007 , during the 119th IOC Session held in Guatemala City . It was the first Olympics to be held in a CIS state since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 . The Soviet Union was previously the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow . These were the first Olympic Games under the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) presidency of Thomas Bach . A record 98 events in fifteen winter sport disciplines were held during the Games . A number of new competitions - a total of twelve accounting for gender - were held during the Games , including biathlon mixed relay , women 's ski jumping , mixed-team figure skating , mixed-team luge , half-pipe skiing , ski and snowboard slopestyle , and snowboard parallel slalom . The events were held around two clusters of new venues : an Olympic Park constructed in Sochi 's Imeretinsky Valley on the coast of the Black Sea , with Fisht Olympic Stadium , and the Games ' indoor venues located within walking distance , and snow events in the resort settlement of Krasnaya Polyana . The 2014 Winter Olympics were the most expensive Games in the history of the Olympics . While originally budgeted at US $ 12 billion , major cost overruns , caused this figure to expand to US $ 51 billion , more than three times the cost of the 2012 London Olympics and even surpassing the estimated $ 44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing .
Tong Jian ( Chinese : 佟健 ; pinyin : Tóng Jiàn ; born August 15 , 1979 in Harbin , Heilongjiang ) is a Chinese pair skater . With partner and wife Pang Qing , he is the 2010 Olympic silver medalist , 2006 & 2010 World Champion , a five-time Four Continents champion ( 2002 , 2004 , 2008 , 2009 & 2011 ) and the 2008 Grand Prix Final Champion .
Figure skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics was held at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi , Russia . The five events took place between 6-22 February 2014 . For the first time at the Winter Olympics , a figure skating team event was held .
The 2012 Summer Olympics , formally the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012 , was an international multi-sport event that was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London , United Kingdom . The first event , the group stage in women 's football , began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , followed by the opening ceremony on 27 July . 10,768 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees ( NOCs ) participated . Following a bid headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone , London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore , defeating bids from Moscow , New York City , Madrid , and Paris . London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times , having previously hosted the Summer Games in 1908 and in 1948 . Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment , with an emphasis on sustainability . The main focus was a new 200-hectare ( 490-acre ) Olympic Park , constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford , East London . The Games also made use of venues that already existed before the bid . The Games received general praise for their organisation , with the volunteers , the British military and public enthusiasm praised particularly highly . The opening ceremony , directed by Danny Boyle , received widespread acclaim throughout the world , particular praise from the British public and a minority of widely ranging criticisms from some social media sites . During the Games , Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time , winning his 22nd medal . Saudi Arabia , Qatar , and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time , so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games .
Yi Jianlian ( simplified Chinese : 易建联 ; traditional Chinese : 易建聯 ; pinyin : Yì Jiànlián [ î tɕjɛ̂nljɛ̌n ] ; born October 27 , 1987 ) is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA ) . He has also played in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) for the Milwaukee Bucks , New Jersey Nets , Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks . Yi joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the 2002-03 CBA season , and subsequently won the CBA Rookie of the Year award . In his first five years with Guangdong , the team won three CBA titles . In the 2007 NBA draft , he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick . Initially , Yi declined to sign with Milwaukee for several months before agreeing to a contract with them on 29 August 2007 . He later played for three other NBA teams until returning to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2012 . Yi also plays for the Chinese national team , having represented his country at the Olympics in 2004 , 2008 , 2012 and 2016 , as well as the 2006 and 2010 FIBA World Championships . Yi played in the 2004 Olympics at age 16 and remains the youngest man to play Olympic basketball since 1948 .
Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics was the eighteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It was held from 28 July to 12 August 2012 . The preliminary matches and the women 's quarterfinal matches were played in the new Basketball Arena in Olympic Park , which seated up to 12,000 spectators . The men 's knockout games and the women 's games , from semifinals onward were played in the North Greenwich Arena . The US men 's and US women 's teams both successfully defended their Olympic basketball championships of 2008 .
The 2010 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XXIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) and commonly known as Vancouver 2010 , informally the 21st Winter Olympics , was an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 12 to 28 February 2010 in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada , with some events held in the surrounding suburbs of Richmond , West Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands , and in the nearby resort town of Whistler . Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines . Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games were organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee ( VANOC ) , headed by John Furlong . The 2010 Winter Olympics were the third Olympics hosted by Canada and the first by the province of British Columbia . Canada hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal , Quebec , and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary , Alberta . Metro Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area to host the Winter Olympics , although Calgary is the largest city to host the Winter Olympics . They will both be surpassed by Beijing in 2022 . Following Olympic tradition , the incumbent mayor of Vancouver Sam Sullivan received the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy . The flag was raised on February 28 , 2006 , in a special ceremony and was on display at Vancouver City Hall until the Olympic opening ceremony . The event was officially opened by Governor General Michaëlle Jean , who was accompanied by the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge . For the first time , Canada won gold in an official sport at an Olympic Games hosted at home , having failed to do so at both the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary ( although Canada won the woman 's curling event in Calgary when it was still only a demonstration sport ) . Canada clinched their first gold medal on the second day of the competition and first topped the gold medal tally on the second to last day of competition and went on to become the first host nation since Norway in 1952 to lead the gold medal count .
Han Xiaopeng ( simplified Chinese : 韩晓鹏 ; traditional Chinese : 韓曉鵬 ; pinyin : Hán Xiǎopéng ; born December 13 , 1983 in Pei , Xuzhou , Jiangsu , China ) is a freestyle skier who competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy , and won gold in the men 's aerials event . In this discipline he also won the World Championships in 2007 . Despite these great achievements , he has yet to win a World Cup competition . Han is the first Chinese male athlete to ever win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics .
The freestyle skiing competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Cypress Mountain . The events took place between the 13 and 25 February 2010 , and included a new event for these Olympics , ski cross .
The 2008 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad ( Chinese : 第二十九届夏季奥林匹克运动会 ; pinyin : Dì Èrshíjiǔ Jiè Xiàjì Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì ) and commonly known as Beijing 2008 , was an international multi-sport event that was held from 8 to 24 August 2008 in Beijing , China . [ b ] A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees ( NOCs ) competed in 28 sports and 302 events ( one event more than those scheduled for the 2004 Summer Olympics ) . This was the first time that China had hosted the Summer Olympics , but the third time that the Games had been held in East Asia , following the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo , Japan , and the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics . These were the second summer Olympic Games staged in a Communist country , after the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics and the third in a developing country after the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union and the first overall Olympics to be hosted by a Communist state since the former Yugoslavia hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo . Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games over four competitors on 13 July 2001 , having won a majority of votes from members of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) after two rounds of voting . The Government of the People 's Republic of China promoted the Games and invested heavily in new facilities and transport systems . A total of 37 venues were used to host the events , including twelve constructed specifically for the 2008 Olympics . The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong , making this the third Olympics for which the events were held under the jurisdiction of two different NOCs . [ c ] The sailing events were contested in Qingdao , while the football events took place across several different cities . The official logo for the 2008 Games , titled Dancing Beijing , featured a stylised calligraphic character jīng ( 京 , means capital ) in reference to the host city . The Beijing Olympics was watched by 3,500,000,000 people worldwide and featured the longest distance for an Olympic Torch relay . The event sets numerous world and Olympics records in the history of sports , and is also the most expensive Summer Olympics of all time and second-most expensive overall , after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi .
Yao Ming ( Chinese : 姚明 ; born September 12 , 1980 ) is a Chinese basketball executive and retired professional basketball player who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA ) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . He was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times , and was named to the All-NBA Team five times . At the time of his final season , he was the tallest active player in the NBA , at 2.29 m ( 7 ft 6 in ) . He is the only player from outside of the United States to lead the NBA in All-Star votes . Yao , who was born in Shanghai , started playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teenager , and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA ) , winning a championship in his final year . After negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release , Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft . He reached the NBA Playoffs four times , and the Rockets won the first-round series in the 2009 postseason , their first playoff series victory since 1997 . In July 2011 , Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball because of a series of foot and ankle injuries which forced him to miss 250 games in his last six seasons . In eight seasons with the Rockets , Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in total points and total rebounds , and second in total blocks . Yao is one of China 's best-known athletes , with sponsorships with several major companies . His rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film , The Year of the Yao , and he co-wrote , along with NBA analyst Ric Bucher , an autobiography titled Yao : A Life in Two Worlds . Known in China as the Yao Ming Phenomenon and in the United States as the Ming Dynasty , Yao 's success in the NBA , and his popularity among fans , made him a symbol of a new China that was both more modern and more confident .
Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics was the seventeenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It was held from 9 August to 24 August 2008 . Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing , China .
The 2006 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games ( Italian : XX Giochi olimpici invernali ) and commonly known as Turin 2006 or Torino 2006 , was a winter multi-sport event which was held in Turin , Piedmont , Italy from February 10 to 26 , 2006 . This marked the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Olympic Games , the first being the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo . Italy also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome . Turin was selected as the host city for the 2006 Games in June 1999 . The official motto of the XX Olympic Winter Games was Passion lives here . The official logo depicts a stylized profile of the Mole Antonelliana building , drawn in white and blue ice crystals , signifying the snow and the sky . The crystal web was also meant to portray the web of new technologies and the Olympic spirit of community . The Olympic mascots of the Games were Neve ( snow in Italian ) , a female snowball , and Gliz , a male ice cube . Italy will host the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo 20 years after these games .
Yang Yang ( simplified Chinese : 杨扬 ; traditional Chinese : 楊揚 ; pinyin : Yáng Yáng ; born 24 August 1976 in Jiamusi , Heilongjiang , China ) is a retired Chinese short track speed skater . She is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2002 Winter Olympics and a six-time Overall World Champion for 1997-2002 . Known as Yang Yang ( A ) , she was formerly a member of the Chinese national short track team . Yang is one of the most accomplished short track speed skaters of all time having won 34 world titles , including six Overall World Championships . She is the first person to have won six Overall World Titles and won six consecutively . Her victory in the women 's 500 m short track at the 2002 Winter Olympics made her China 's first-ever Winter Olympics gold medalist . She added a second gold in the women 's 1000 m short track at the same Games and has also won two silver and a bronze medal . After 2003 World Championships , Yang took time off competing , but came back in 2004-2005 season in lead-up to 2006 Winter Olympics where she won the bronze medal in 1000m race . She retired soon afterwards .
Short track speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held over thirteen days , from 12 to 25 February . Eight events were contested at the Torino Palavela . In the men 's competition , Ahn Hyun-soo earned a medal in each event , winning three golds . On the women 's side , Jin Sun-yu scored three gold medals .
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( Greek : Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004 , Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 2004 ) , officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Athens 2004 , was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens , Greece , from 13 to 29 August 2004 with the motto Welcome Home . The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete , some 600 more than expected , accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries . There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports . Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance . 2004 also marked the return of the Olympic Games to the city where they began . Having previously hosted the Olympics in 1896 , Athens became one of only four cities to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two separate occasions at the time ( together with Paris , London , and Los Angeles ) . A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games , replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since the 1928 Games . This rectified the long lasting mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue . The new design features the Panathenaic Stadium . The 2004 Summer Games were hailed as unforgettable , dream games by IOC President Jacques Rogge , and left Athens with a significantly improved infrastructure , including a new airport , ring road , and subway system . There have been arguments ( mostly in popular media ) regarding the cost of the 2004 Athens Summer Games and their possible contribution to the 2010-2018 Greek government-debt crisis , however , there is little or no evidence for such a correlation . The 2004 Olympics were generally deemed to be a success , with the rising standard of competition amongst nations across the world .
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was the sixteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena , a part of the Hellinikon Olympic Complex , in Athens , for the preliminary rounds , with the later stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex .
The 2002 Winter Olympics , officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 , was a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 8 to 24 February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City , Utah , United States . 2,399 athletes from 78 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines , held throughout 165 sporting sessions . The 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Paralympic Games were both organized by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee ( SLOC ) , the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history that both events were organized by a single committee . Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympic Games , after Missouri , New York , California , and Georgia . These were the first Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Jacques Rogge . The opening ceremony was held on February 8 , 2002 , and sporting competitions were held up until the closing ceremony on February 24 , 2002 . Production for both ceremonies was designed by Seven Nielsen , and music for both ceremonies was directed by Mark Watters . Salt Lake City became the most populous area ever to have hosted the Winter Olympics , although the two subsequent host cities ' populations were larger . Following a trend , the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were also larger than all prior Winter Games , with 10 more events than the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano , Japan . Norway won the most gold medals while Germany won the most number of medals . The Salt Lake Games faced a bribery scandal and some local opposition during the bid . Nevertheless , from sporting and business standpoints , this was one of the most successful Winter Olympiads in history ; records were set in both the broadcasting and marketing programs .
Zhang Min ( simplified Chinese : 张民 ; traditional Chinese : 張民 ; pinyin : Zhāng Mín ; born March 24 , 1976 ) is a Chinese former competitive figure skater . He is a two-time Four Continents medalist and a three-time Chinese national champion . He competed at three Winter Olympic Games , placing as high as tenth , and finished a career-best seventh at the 2004 World Championships . At the 1999 Four Continents , Zhang became the first skater to land a clean quadruple toe loop in the short program at an ISU Championship . He has also landed quadruple salchows in competition . He is the second person to land three quadruple jumps in one program . At the 2006 World Championships , the day before his 30th birthday , he landed a 4T-3T combination and 4S in his free skate . He named Elvis Stojko as his idol in the sport .
All figure skating events in 2002 Winter Olympics were held at the Salt Lake Ice Center .
The 2000 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and commonly known as Sydney 2000 or the Millennium Olympic Games/Games of the New Millennium , was an international multi-sport event held between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . It was the second time the Summer Olympics were held in Australia , and also the Southern Hemisphere , the first being in Melbourne , Victoria , in 1956 .
Liu Yudong ( simplified Chinese : 刘玉栋 ; traditional Chinese : 劉玉棟 ; pinyin : Liú Yùdòng ; nickname： War God ( 战神 ) ; b . 1970 in Putian , Fujian ) , is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Fujian Xunxing club in the Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA ) . At 2.00 m ( 6 ' 6 ​3⁄4 ) and 243 lbs . ( 110 kg ) , he played at the power forward position . In 1990 , he was chosen as one of China 's 50 all-time greatest basketball players . He held the CBA record for most career points scored ( 8,387 points ) , until it was broken by Zhu Fangyu , on 1/1/2012 . He was the CBA Regular Season MVP in 2002 , and the CBA League MVP in 2002 and 2003 , and is known as one of the greatest Chinese players of all-time .
Basketball contests at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the fifteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It was held from 16 September 2000 to 1 October 2000 . Games took place at the Sydney SuperDome and the Dome in Sydney , Australia . The United States claimed the gold medals in both the men 's and women 's competitions .
The 1998 Winter Olympics , officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XVIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) ( Japanese : 第十八回オリンピック冬季競技大会 , Dai Jūhachi-kai Orinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai ) , and commonly known as Nagano 1998 , was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 that were centered in Nagano , Japan . The Games also took place in the nearby mountain communities of Hakuba , Karuizawa , Nozawa Onsen , and Yamanouuchi . The city of Nagano had previously been a candidate to host the 1940 Winter Olympics ( which were later cancelled ) , as well as the 1972 Winter Olympics , but each time Nagano was eliminated at the national level by Sapporo . The games hosted 2,176 athletes from 72 nations competing in 7 sports and 68 events . The number of athletes and participating nations were a record at the time . The Games saw the introduction of women 's ice hockey , curling and snowboarding . National Hockey League players were allowed to participate in the men 's ice hockey for the first time . Five countries , Azerbaijan , Kenya , Macedonia , Uruguay , and Venezuela made their debut at the Winter Olympics . The athlete who won the most medals at these games was the Russian cross-country skier Larisa Lazutina who won five medals , including three gold . The Norwegian cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie won four medals , including three gold , which took his total Olympic medal total to 12 , including eight gold , which is a record for Winter Olympics . In ice hockey , professionals from the North American National Hockey League participated for the first time . Despite their participation , the Czech men 's ice hockey team won the gold medal .
Zhao Hongbo ( simplified Chinese : 赵宏博 ; traditional Chinese : 趙宏博 ; pinyin : Zhào Hóngbó ; born 22 September 1973 ) is a Chinese pair skater . With his partner and wife Shen Xue , Zhao is the 2010 Olympic champion , the 2002 & 2006 Olympic bronze medalist , a three-time World champion ( 2002 , 2003 & 2007 ) , a three-time Four Continents Champion ( 1999 , 2003 & 2007 ) and a six-time Grand Prix Final champion ( 1998 , 1999 , 2003 , 2004 , 2006 & 2009 ) . Shen and Zhao were the first Chinese pair team to win a medal at an International Skating Union event and at the World Figure Skating Championships . In 2002 , they became the first Chinese pair skating team to win a World Championship . They are also the first Chinese pair skaters to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games . In 2010 , they were the first Chinese skaters to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in any figure skating category , ending almost half a century of Russian and Soviet pair skating dominance .
The figure skating events in 1998 Winter Olympics were held at the White Ring in Nagano . There were no changes in the format or scoring systems from 1994 . Professionals were again allowed to compete , although they had to declare that intention and compete in ISU-approved events to do so . Most of the top competitors by 1998 were now openly professional . The competitions took place on the following days :
The 1996 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad , commonly known as Atlanta 1996 , and also referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event that was held from July 19 to August 4 , 1996 , in Atlanta , Georgia , U.S . These Games , which were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States , marked the centennial of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens - the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games . They were also the first since 1924 to be held in a different year from a Winter Olympics , under a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating , even-numbered years . More than 10,000 athletes from 197 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports , including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball , mountain biking , and softball , as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing and women 's football ( soccer ) . 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debut in Atlanta , including eleven former Soviet republics participating for the first time as independent nations . The hosting United States led the medal count with a total of 101 medals , and the most gold ( 44 ) and silver ( 32 ) medals out of all countries . The U.S. topped the medal count for the first time since 1984 , and for the first time since 1968 in a non-boycotted Summer Olympics . Notable performances during competition included those of Andre Agassi - who became the first men 's singles tennis player to combine a career Grand Slam with an Olympic gold medal , Donovan Bailey - who set a new world record of 9.84 for the men 's 100 meters , and Lilia Podkopayeva - who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold after winning the all-round title in the same Olympics . The festivities were marred by violence on July 27 , when Eric Rudolph detonated pipe bombs at Centennial Olympic Park - a downtown park that was built to serve as a public focal point for the Games ' festivities , killing 1 and injuring 111 . In 2003 , Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related attacks on abortion centers and a gay bar , and was sentenced to life in prison . He claimed that the bombing was meant to protest the U.S. government 's sanctioning of abortion on demand . The Games turned a profit , helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights , and reliance on private funding ( as opposed to the extensive public funding used on later Olympics ) , among other factors .
Basketball contests at the 1996 Olympic Games was the fourteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It held from July 20 , 1996 to August 4 , 1996 . Games took place in the Morehouse College Gymnasium and in the Georgia Dome .
The 1994 Winter Olympics ( Norwegian : Olympiske vinterleker 1994 ) , officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games , was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer , Norway . Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event , losing to Albertville . Lillehammer was awarded the 1994 Winter Olympics in 1988 , after beating Anchorage , United States ; Östersund , Sweden ; and Sofia , Bulgaria . Lillehammer is the northernmost city to ever host the Winter Games and the Olympic Games overall . The Games were the first to be held in a different year from the Summer Olympics , the first and only one to be held two years after the previous winter games . The Games were the second Winter Olympics hosted in Norway , after the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo , and the fourth Olympics in the Nordic countries , after the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm , Sweden , and the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki , Finland . Although many events took place in Lillehammer , skating took place in Hamar , some ice hockey matches were placed in Gjøvik , while Alpine skiing was held in Øyer and Ringebu . Sixty-seven countries and 1,737 athletes participated in six sports and sixty-one events . Fourteen countries made their debut in the Winter Olympics , of which nine were former Soviet republics . The Games also saw the introduction of stricter qualifying rules , reducing the number of under-performing participants from warm-weather countries . New events were two new distances in short track speed skating and aerials , while speed skating was moved indoors . Nearly two million people spectated the games , which were the first to have the Olympic truce in effect .
Liu Yanfei ( born 15 February 1967 ) is a Chinese speed skater . He competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics , the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1994 Winter Olympics .
Speed skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics , was held from 13 to 25 February . Ten events were contested at Hamar Olympic Hall .
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( Spanish : Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992 , Catalan : Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992 ) , officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event held in Barcelona , Spain from 25 July to 9 August 1992 . Beginning in 1994 , the International Olympic Committee decided to hold the Summer and Winter Olympics in alternating even-numbered years . The 1992 Summer Olympics was the last occasion for the Summer and Winter Olympics to be staged in the same year . This Olympiad was the first since the end of the Cold War , and was unaffected by boycotts for the first time since the 1972 Olympiad . The Unified Team topped the medal table , winning 45 gold and 112 overall medals .
Song Ligang ( simplified Chinese : 宋力刚 ; traditional Chinese : 宋力剛 ; pinyin : Sòng Lìgāng ; born June 8 , 1967 in Tianjin ) is a former Chinese basketball player . He competed at 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games , and was the flagbearer of Chinese Olympic Team at the opening ceremony . He also competed for his native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics . Song currently serves as an officer in Hainan government .
Basketball at the 1992 Summer Olympics was the thirteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It included the sport of basketball 's men 's and women 's competitions of the 1992 Summer Olympics . The games were played at the Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona . 12 men 's teams and 8 women 's teams participated in the tournament . This was the first time that NBA players were eligible to play in Summer Olympics basketball , following a decision of FIBA in April 1989 . Until 1992 , only amateurs and players from professional leagues other than the NBA were allowed to play . The United States men 's team , which was nicknamed The Dream Team , won the gold medal by beating Croatia in the men 's final , with Lithuania winning the bronze medal . The Unified Team , representing the Commonwealth of Independent States , of the recently defunct Soviet Union , won the women 's tournament , with China as runner-up . The United States women 's team won the bronze medal after losing to the CIS in the semifinal , suffering their third and last defeat to date in the Olympic basketball history .
The 1992 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XVIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) , were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville , France . They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics , and the first where the Winter Paralympics were held at the same site . Albertville was selected as host in 1986 , beating Sofia , Falun , Lillehammer , Cortina d'Ampezzo , Anchorage and Berchtesgaden . The games were the third Winter Olympics held in France , after Chamonix in 1924 and Grenoble in 1968 , and the fifth Olympics overall in the country . Only some of the skating and the opening and closing ceremonies took place in Albertville , while the rest of the events took place in the villages of Courchevel , La Plagne , Les Arcs , Les Menuires , Les Saisies , Méribel , Pralognan-la-Vanoise , Tignes and Val d'Isère . Sixty-four nations with 1,801 athletes participated in the games , including the Unified Team which represented non-Baltic former Soviet republics . Germany participated as a unified team following reunification in 1990 , while five newly independent European countries debuted , as did six warm-weather countries . Short track speed skating , moguls and women 's biathlon made their debut as an Olympic sport . The games were the last Winter Games until 2014 to have demonstration sports , consisting of curling , aerials , ski ballet and speed skiing . It was the last Olympics to have an outdoor speed skating rink . The games were succeeded by the 1992 Winter Paralympics from 25 March to 1 April . Norwegians won every male cross-country skiing race , with Bjørn Dæhlie and Vegard Ulvang both collecting three gold .
Song Chen ( born 3 June 1967 ) is a Chinese speed skater . He competed in two events at the 1992 Winter Olympics .
Speed skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics , was held from 9 to 20 February . Ten events were contested at L'anneau de vitesse .
The 1988 Summer Olympics ( Korean : 서울 하계 올림픽 ; RR : Seoul Hagye Ollimpik [ sʌ.ul ɦaɡje olːimpʰik ] ) , officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event celebrated from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul , South Korea . In the Seoul Games , 159 nations were represented by a total of 8,391 athletes : 6,197 men and 2,194 women . 237 events were held and 27,221 volunteers helped to prepare the Olympics . 11,331 media ( 4,978 written press and 6,353 broadcasters ) showed the Games all over the world . These were the last Olympic Games for the Soviet Union and East Germany , as both ceased to exist before the next Olympic Games . The Soviets utterly dominated the medal table , winning 55 gold and 132 total medals . No country came close to this result after 1988 . The games were boycotted by North Korea and its ally , Cuba . Ethiopia , Albania and the Seychelles did not respond to the invitations sent by the IOC . Nicaragua did not participate due to athletic and financial considerations . The participation of Madagascar had been expected , and their team was expected at the opening ceremony of 160 nations . However , the country withdrew because of financial reasons .
Song Tao ( Chinese : 宋涛 ; born November 6 , 1965 in Jimo , Shandong ) is a retired Chinese basketball player and coach . 6'10 ( 209 cm ) with impressive mobility , he was the first player from Asia drafted by an NBA team when the Atlanta Hawks selected him in the 3rd round of the 1987 NBA draft , although he never went to training camp due to serious knee injuries . Song competed at 1988 Seoul Olympic Games [ citation needed ] and was the flag bearer of the Chinese Olympic team . He retired from China men 's national basketball team in 1991 and became a player-coach in the Shandong provincial team . In 1993 , Song went to study in San Francisco , California and then moved to Taiwan to compete in the professional Chinese Basketball Alliance until he retired there around the turn of the century . He coached the National Chiao Tung University varsity team in the ensuing years . Song returned to China in 2003 , and has since lived in Suzhou , Jiangsu where he became a businessman .
Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics was the twelfth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It took place at the Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul , South Korea from 17 September to 30 September 1988 . The United States won the gold medal in the women 's competition , thus repeating their performance from the 1984 tournament . In the men 's tournament , the Soviet Union took home their second gold medal in the team 's history for this event . This was the last Olympic basketball tournament where NBA players were not allowed to participate , although professionals from other leagues were allowed to compete , since players from other leagues were still considered amateurs . These were also the last Olympic basketball tournaments where the Soviets fielded a team , as the Soviet Union broke up prior to the 1992 Summer Olympic Games .
The 1988 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) , was a multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary , Alberta , Canada , between February 13 and 28 , 1988 and were the first Winter Olympics to be held over a whole two week period . The host city was selected in 1981 over Falun , Sweden , and Cortina d'Ampezzo , Italy . Most events took place in Calgary while several skiing events were held in the mountain resorts of Nakiska and Canmore , west of the city . A then-record 57 nations competed and 1,423 athletes participated . As it had in Montreal in 1976 , Canada again failed to win a gold medal in an official medal event as the host nation . Finnish ski jumper Matti Nykänen and Dutch speed skater Yvonne van Gennip were individual medal leaders with each winning three gold medals . The games are also remembered for the heroic failure of British ski jumper Eddie The Eagle Edwards , and the Winter Olympic début of the Jamaica national bobsled team , both of which would be subjects of major feature films about their participation in the games . The Calgary games were at the time one of the most expensive Olympics ever held , but the organizing committee turned record television and sponsorship revenue into a net surplus that was used to maintain the facilities built for the Olympics and develop the Calgary region into the heart of Canada 's elite winter sports program . The five purpose-built venues continue to be used in their original functions , and have helped the country develop into one of the top nations in Winter Olympic competition ; Canada more than quintupled the five medals it won in Calgary at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics .
Zhang Shubin ( simplified Chinese : 张舒宾 ; traditional Chinese : 張舒賓 ; pinyin : Zhāng Shūbīn ; born February 16 , 1966 in Harbin ) is a Chinese former competitive figure skater . He is the 1985 Winter Universiade champion , 1986 Asian Winter Games silver medalist , and 1986 Fujifilm Trophy bronze medalist . He placed 20th at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and 25th at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville . He retired from competitive skating in 1992 and became a coach .
Figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics took place at the Stampede Corral , the Olympic Saddledome and the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary , Alberta , Canada .
The 1984 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event that was held from July 28 to August 12 , 1984 , in Los Angeles , California , United States ( and other venues around the United States ) . This was the second time that Los Angeles had hosted the Games , the first being in 1932 . California was the home state of then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan , who officially opened the Games . The logo for the 1984 Games , branded Stars in Motion , featured red , white and blue stars arranged horizontally and struck through with alternating streaks . The official mascot of the Games was Sam the Olympic Eagle . These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch . The 1984 Games were boycotted by a total of fourteen Eastern Bloc countries , including the Soviet Union and East Germany , in response to the American-led boycott of the previous 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan ; Romania was the only Eastern Bloc nation that opted to attend the Games . Iran and Libya also chose to boycott the Games for unrelated reasons . Despite the field being depleted in certain sports due to the boycott , 140 National Olympic Committees took part , which was a record at the time . The United States won the most gold and overall medals , followed by Romania and West Germany . The 1984 Summer Olympics are widely considered to be the most financially successful modern Olympics and served as an example of how to run the model Olympic Games . As a result of low construction costs , coupled with a reliance on private corporate funding , the 1984 Olympic Games generated a profit of more than $ 250 million .
Wang Libin ( Chinese : 王立彬 ; pinyin : Wáng Lìbīn ; born March 31 , 1963 in Shaanxi Province , People 's Republic of China ) is a former male Chinese basketball player and an active basketball coach . Wang started his playing career at the age of 14 and was one of the most talented front court players in Asia . 6 ' 8 , Wang was not only a powerful inside player with solid footwork and impressive mobility but also a stable long range shooter . Some dubbed him as Asia 's number one centre during his prime in the 1980s . As a member of the China men 's national basketball team he competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and was the flag bearer of the Chinese Olympic Team at the opening ceremony . Due to power struggles within China 's basketball authorities , however , he was banned from playing for the national team at the age of 25 - shortly after he competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics . After this forced retirement , Wang accepted the invitation by a semi-professional club , Isuzu Motors Lynx , based in Yokohama , Japan to play there . In 1993 , he moved to play for the Tera Electronics club in Taiwan and retired there after a decade-long post-retirement career as overseas professional player . Owning a restaurant named after his triple-double ( 大三元 ) record in Taipei , Wang later served in ESPN Star Sports as a basketball analyst/commentator in Mandarin Chinese . He also participated in the training of the Chinese Taipei men 's national basketball team . In 2004 , Wang returned to his hometown , Xi'an , to coach the Shaanxi Kylins , a professional team in the Chinese Basketball Association ( CBA ) . After two unsuccessful seasons coaching in the CBA , Wang resigned as the Kylins head coach and accepted another commission to coach the Northwestern Polytechnical University varsity team .
Basketball contests at the 1984 Summer Olympics was the eleventh appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event . It took place at The Forum in Inglewood , United States from July 29 to August 10 . The United States won the gold medal in both events , the first in the women 's team history . Due to the boycott , the Soviet Union and Hungary withdrew from the tournament . The former , having already qualified for both events was replaced by West Germany in the men 's competition , while both nations ' women 's teams were replaced by Australia and South Korea .
The 1984 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games ( French : XIVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ; Serbo-Croatian : XIV . zimske olimpijske igre / XIV Зимске олимпијске игре ; Macedonian : XIV Зимски олимписки игри ; Slovene : XIV olimpijske zimske igre ) , was a winter multi-sport event which took place from 8-19 February 1984 in Sarajevo , Yugoslavia , in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina . Other candidate cities were Sapporo , Japan ; and Gothenburg , Sweden . It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a socialist state and in a Slavic language-speaking country . It was also the second Olympics overall , as well as the second consecutive Olympics , to be held in a socialist and in a Slavic language-speaking country after the 1980 Summer Olympics were held in Moscow , Soviet Union . Furthermore , it was the first Olympics held in the Balkans after the first modern Games in Athens . The Sarajevo games have also been the only Olympics so far to be hosted by a Non-Aligned Movement member .
Zhao Shijian ( born 10 March 1955 ) is a Chinese speed skater . He competed in two events at the 1984 Winter Olympics .
Speed skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics was held from 9 to 18 February . Nine events were contested at Zetra Ice Rink .
The 1980 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games , was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 13 to February 24 , 1980 , in Lake Placid , New York , United States . This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games , after 1932 . The only other candidate city to bid for the Games was Vancouver-Garibaldi , British Columbia , Canada , which withdrew before the final vote ( though Vancouver would eventually win the bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics . ) The mascot of the Games was Roni , a raccoon . The mask-like rings on a raccoon 's face recall the goggles and hats worn by many athletes in winter sports . The sports were played at the Olympic Center , Whiteface Mountain , Mt . Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run , the Olympic Ski Jumps , the Cascade Cross Country Ski Center , and the Lake Placid High School Speed Skating Oval .
Zhao Weichang ( born 21 April 1950 ) is a Chinese speed skater . He competed in three events at the 1980 Winter Olympics .
Speed skating at the 1980 Winter Olympics , was held from 9 February to 18 February . Nine events were contested at James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink .