Olympic champion Su Yiming named UNCCD Sport4Land ambassador

(ECNS) -- Chinese Olympic snowboarding champion Su Yiming has been named the Sport4Land Champion for Resilience by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Wednesday.

Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming attends the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, February 22, 2026. (Photo: China News Service/ Luo Yunfei)

Su will promote public participation in land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable land management.

"The mountains gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams. Protecting nature means preserving the same opportunities for future generations," he said.

At 22, Su is one of the world’s top snowboarders, winning gold and silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and adding gold and bronze at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

He also founded the Super Sports Foundation to support grassroots sports. His appointment comes ahead of UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Aug. 17–28.

(By Helen Mo, intern Liu Shuangjing)