On this day, 45 years ago, on February 18, 1980 (January 3, 1980, the lunar calendar), China athletes participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time. In February 1980, the 13th Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid, United States. China athletes participated in this competition. This is the first time that China athletes have participated in the Olympic Games since the International Olympic Committee restored my country's legal status in the Olympic Movement in 1979. This is the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics that the five-star red flag of the People's Republic of China flies together with the Olympic flag and the flags of other participating countries. Its significance goes far beyond winter sports itself. International friends compared this major victory for the China people to the restoration of China's seat in the United Nations in sports. The first words of many foreign friends who have been rushing for many years to restore China's legal rights in the Olympic Games when warmly welcoming the China sports delegation were: "Finally I look forward to you here!" In Lake Placid, the China Olympic Committee commemorative medal with the five-star red flag has become a precious souvenir that people demand everywhere. The development of ice and snow sports in my country has gone through a tortuous process. In an era when China was called the "sick man of East Asia," how could there be any ice and snow sports? After the founding of New China, this sport began to be pursued. At the beginning, the level of sports was low. After great efforts in the 1950s, my country's ice and snow sports gradually shortened the gap with the world's advanced level. 1962-1964 In 2008, my country's speed skaters won one world championship, one runner-up, and one third place, and two broke the world record. However, due to the impact of ten years of civil strife, this gap that has been narrowed has widened again. Although my country's ice and snow sports level has recovered and improved in recent years, the world level has improved even faster, so the gap is still large. Relatively speaking, our starting point is relatively low. This time, the number of athletes participating in the competition in our country was small, with a total of 28 people. This competition basically reflects the recovery and improvement of my country's ice and snow sports level, but there is still a big gap with the world's advanced level. Athletes basically compete to their own level and style. In terms of speed skating, the results this time are generally higher than the level of our athletes in the world championships in the 1960s; in skiing and figure skating, the results have also improved. It can be believed that as long as our athletes work hard to improve training methods and improve sports equipment and nutritional conditions, our country's ice and snow sports will also catch up with and exceed the world level like other sports.