Sow the “gold medal” today and look forward to harvesting the gold medal
——Excellent athletes and coach representatives participate in 2024 voluntary tree planting activities
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Guo Jian
This morning, 45 outstanding athletes and coach representatives from the National Gymnastics Team and the National Swimming Team participated in the 2024 spring voluntary tree planting activity jointly organized by the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and the State Sports General Administration in Beijing to commemorate the “International Forest Day” with practical actions.
In June 2023, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and the State Sports General Administration signed a “Memorandum of Cooperation” to comprehensively carry out in-depth cooperation. This tree planting activity is a concrete action by both parties to implement the “Memorandum of Cooperation”. It is an important measure in accelerating the process of building a sports power and a beautiful China. It is a vivid practice of in-depth implementation of Xi Jinping’s ecological civilization thought.
The tree planting plot is located in the flood storage and detention area of Shunyi Phase II Project of Wenyu River Park in Beijing, where a century-old peace-of-mind forest that effectively protects the flood control safety of Beijing’s sub-center is being constructed. Early this morning, more than 200 cadres and workers from the forestry, grassland, and sports systems were here shoveling soil and working hard. We planted more than 800 trees, including Chinese pine, whitebark pine, Sophora japonica, maple, willow, ginkgo, peach, and eucalyptus. After the tree planting work, everyone went to the tending point to prune branches, hang tree tags, and hang trap boards to learn about tree characteristics and tending knowledge.
2024 marks the 43rd anniversary of the nationwide voluntary tree planting. At present, the responsible forms of voluntary tree planting include eight categories: afforestation, tending and management, nature protection, species and animal adoption, facility construction, donations of money and materials, and volunteer services. For athletes who are in the midst of a tense preparation period for the Olympics, participating in voluntary tree planting work is not as simple as “relaxing”.
“It’s a very good time to participate in voluntary tree planting this time. Yesterday was the spring equinox, and today we plant trees, which gives us a feeling of ‘spring and autumn’. This year’s Paris Olympics happens to be from July to August, which is the harvest season. So I hope If you plant a lot of ‘gold medals’ today, you will be able to harvest a lot of gold medals then.” Swimmer Zhang Yufei said, “My preparations are going smoothly now. There will be some bumps along the way, but the problems I encounter now are better than those at the Olympics. It’s better to encounter problems. I’m 26 years old this year. Compared with when I participated in the Tokyo Olympics 3 years ago, I really feel that my body is not as strong as it was 3 years ago. I will try my best to adjust myself to a stronger body in the next Olympic trials. Perfect condition.”
“Preparing for the Olympics is a comprehensive challenge, and it will not go smoothly in the process. There are always some minor setbacks.” Qin Haiyang, who shined at the World Swimming Championships last year, said, “The main problems are injuries, but there will be some mental pressure too. But I believe the final result will be good.”
China Youth Daily, Beijing, March 21.