“Winning the gold medal will change many things. I’ll be more confident, and my parents can live a better life,” said Zhou.
China’s State General Administration of Sports Deputy Secretary Yu Zaiqing criticized the speech as “inappropriate” during the recent Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
The next day, Zhou presented a re-tooled version of her speech for a live, online chat forum in China: “What I want to express the most is thanks. I thank the country for providing us with such good circumstances, so that we can have such favorable conditions for competing in the Olympic Games. I would also like to thank those who support us: the coaches, the staff, and my parents."
