Beijing 2022: Canadian helping bring ice hockey culture as China imports Winter Olympics talent
- ‘The Chinese recognise ice hockey is Canada’s game and want to learn more about ice hockey culture,’ says Clint Hazen
- Known as ‘the hockey guy’, the Canadian is lending his expertise in helping China import culture in a bid to grow winter sports
Expatriates have long been a staple in key sectors in Beijing and Shanghai, mainly in finance and tech. Now China is importing knowledge and experience in sports, winter ones specifically.
Multiple data points suggest there are close to a million foreigners working in China, many of them brought in specifically for their professional skill sets. After two years of vetting, including interviews, background checks and loads of paperwork, Canadian Clint Hazen became one of them, and said his 18 months in China have been an interesting and expansive experience.
“Some steps took weeks, even months, so it was exciting as everything came together,” said Hazen, who touched down in Beijing in August of 2019, and started working as a performance coach for the Chinese Olympic Committee.
Hazen, who has a master’s degree in sports medicine, health and rehabilitation sciences from the University of Pittsburgh, is your typical Canadian. He’s been playing hockey his whole life, as a goalie, and this was exactly what China was looking for when they hired him, said Hazen.
