"The gold medal in the men's aerials is not only the first gold in snow events for China, but also the first gold from Chinese male athletes at the Winter Games," Xiao said. "It strengthens the confidence of all Chinese athletes who are doing snow sports."

    At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, China took its first ever Winter Olympic gold medal with Yang Yang (A) winning it for short track speed skating.

    Before the Turin Games, the only medal in a snow event was a silver won by Xu Nannan in the women's freestyle skiing aerials at the 1998 Nagano Games.

    With the uptrend in China's winter sports, said Xiao, more money would come in from the private sector to further support the athletes.

    "Our athletes' performance in Turin will help us forge partnership with more international and domestic companies," Xiao said. "Company sponsorship and the sports lottery should be important financial sources for China's winter sports."

    He also called on more people in southern China, which has few avenues for ice and snow events because of the warmer weather, to participate in winter sports.

    "If some cities in southern China could set up ice rinks or indoor ski resorts and involve more people, the reserve force of the country's winter sportsmen will become larger," Xiao said.

    However, the sports official admitted that the dominance of summer sports in China would continue.

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