Fan Shan practices curling. [Photo/66wz.com]
All staff at the ongoing 2022 Olympic Winter Games have had to make personal sacrifices to ensure the smooth running of the major sporting event.
Few of them, however, would have sacrificed as much as Fan Shan has – the man has not met his family for the past four years due to his work commitments.
Fan, a world bocce champion and the former coach of the national women's bocce team, is currently the leader of the Olympic support team at Zhangjiakou competition area.
Born in Xi'an city in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Fan started working at the Zhejiang Industry and Trade Vocational College in Wenzhou after graduating from college. He went on to play bocce for over 20 years and has coached several world champions.
As bocce is similar to curling, Fan made a switch to the national curling team in 2018.
In June 2020, Fan left his role at the national curling team and was transferred to the national team management department of the Winter Sports Center. In March 2021, he started working at the science and technology department of the Winter Sports Center.
Due to his outstanding management ability, Fan was assigned to helm the Olympic support team of the Zhangjiakou competition area last December.
Due to his hectic work schedule and sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 in the country, Fan spent yet another Spring Festival without the company of his family this year. But the man has no qualms about making this sacrifice, saying that he will do whatever it takes to ensure China hosts a successful Winter Olympics.
