Xi pushes sports development to achieve Chinese dream

Xi Jinping kicks a football during a visit to the Gaelic Athletic Association at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Feb 19, 2012. [Photo/VCG]

No 1 sports fan

Xi is a fan of a lot of sports games. Xi once told reporters that he likes swimming, boxing, tennis, volleyball, basketball and martial arts, as well as winter games such as ice hockey and speed skating.

And of all sports, Xi's favorite is soccer. In his high school years, he was a member of the school soccer team.

Due to his increasingly heavy workload, Xi doesn't have enough time or energy to play the game. But his love of the game remains strong.

In 2012, the then-vice president Xi showed off some of his soccer skills at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin during a state visit to Ireland. Clearly he was satisfied with his skills because he displayed a photo of him kicking the ball in his office.