Reigniting a passion for pucks

Through the years, the players' passion for ice hockey endured but lay dormant－until Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Inspired by the buzz surrounding the Games and the country's winter sports push, Team 1979 was established with just nine members in 2015.

Now, it includes over 20 veteran players, most aged around 60, who play twice a week.

Many of the veterans are moving into coaching or refereeing as they seek to nurture young talent on the ice. The new blood has seen the team's ranks swell to over 40 players.

"Since Beijing won the bid to host the Winter Olympics, the number of ice hockey rinks in the city has grown dramatically. Now we have much better conditions to play," Huang said.

Team 1979 is just one example of how Beijing 2022 has facilitated the growth of winter sports in China.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the promotion of winter sports leading up to Beijing 2022 resulted in 346 million Chinese taking part in ice and snow sports and related leisure activities.

A total of 654 standard ice rinks and 803 ski resorts were operating in China by the start of last year, increases of 317 percent and 41 percent respectively from 2015.

"The Winter Olympics arrived in China, and we old folks wanted to contribute to the Games. By reforming the ice hockey team, at least we have shown that our passion for sports is still there and we are still chasing our dreams," said Team 1979's Li Honghai.