The Xi Games 2 : Bold proclamations leave many feeling left behind

People sit in front of a banner promoting the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing Station as they wait for the train to their hometown on Jan. 17. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

"The goal of 'getting 300 million people involved in winter sports' has become a reality," said Li Sen, director general of the General Planning Department of the 2022 Beijing organizing committee, during a Jan. 13 press conference in Beijing.

The "300 million people" goal was a pledge Chinese President Xi Jinping made during Beijing's bid to host the 2022 Winter Games, which it won in 2015.