8月1日，HYROX全球健身跑系列赛事成都站开赛，乒乓球奥运冠军张继科参加。
Yin Yunzhen introduces to Sakolsky the harvest from the once-barren wasteland. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
On Monday afternoon, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky visited the homeland of Chinese desert fighter Yin Yuzhen in Uxin Banner of Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This was a place the American man had visited in 2000 and it has completely changed since then.
In 1999, Sakolsky, a teacher in a China-US education exchange program, was touched by a report on Yin and her husband's afforestation efforts in the harsh wilderness of Mu Us Desert, and raised $5,000 to support her green cause. During that visit, they took pictures - in front of the sunken pit where the Yin couple once resided and in the barren land with a finger-thin sapling they had just planted against a backdrop of dust and bare earth.
What has the $5,000 changed?
On Monday, they came to the Sakolsky forest - a permanent tribute honoring Sakolsky's early contribution to the region's ecological revival - and replicated the vintage pictures, standing in front of a pit that has long been abandoned and beside a newly planted sapling. This time, however, there are bushes and trees in the background.
This contrast not only witnessed their friendship across time and the Pacific Ocean, but also showcased a promise Yin has kept for 27 years and a green dream that has been made possible through generations of joint unwavering efforts from Yin, her husband and countless other sand fighters.
Homecoming with family cooking
Yin hosted Sakolsky on Monday at her home, filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked meals during their long-awaited reunion. Watermelons were served along with other fresh fruits and vegetables, all harvested locally. Yin told the Global Times earlier that she learned the English word "more" to persuade him to eat more.
In 1999, Yin had few options for showing her hospitality, so she cooked a bowl of plain noodles for Sakolsky. Now, the harsh wasteland has transformed into a vibrant green oasis, thanks to unwavering afforestation efforts.
In the courtyard, the Global Times reporter saw Yin grinning from ear to ear with pride as she introduced the produce from the farmland - green pepper longer than a palm, a bottle gourd even bigger than Yin's head, and bags of foxtail millet packaged with the assistance of Yin's grandchildren, who are proud of the family's generations of commitment to green causes.
During a tour of Yin's home, Sakolsky was impressed by the beautiful house with its green courtyard, saying "You deserve every centimeter of this house." Throughout the visit, he repeatedly praised Yin's hands, which the desert fighter and model worker used to change both the land and her own life through arduous work.
The $5,000 Sakolsky donated in 1999 was equivalent to three years' income for Yin's entire family at the time. Today, that money has grown into more than 50,000 trees.
But Yin's journey did not stop there. Over the following decades, with the support of China's growing ecological restoration policies — including subsidies for afforestation and compensation for forest managers — she transformed the barren land into a productive family forest farm. Her success has inspired many others in the region to take up tree planting and sand control, transforming what was once a desperate struggle into a sustainable livelihood.
From the sandy hollow where the Yin couple lived in in 1985 and the earth hut they resided in until 1993, to the solid brick house Sakolsky saw when he last visited, and the two-story house the big family now lives in, the change in living environment is a clear example of ecological dividends.
Uxin Banner lies in the heartland of the Mu Us Desert. The desertification rate was over 90 percent in the 1950s and forestation coverage was merely 7.2 percent as of 1980. Now, the forestation rate has increased to 33 percent, while plantation coverage has expanded to 85 percent, per official data.
Sakolsky and Yin enjoy watermelons and other fruits at Yin's home. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
Carry on the greenness, kindness This miracle would have been impossible without numerous people like Yin, long-term systematic planning and scientific governance.
Chen Ziliang, an expert from the local forestry and grassland bureau, said that Mu Us Desert's sand‑control journey has evolved from collective afforestation to contract desert‑reclamation, moving beyond the simple goal of "keeping trees alive" to restoring vegetation based on water‑resource conditions.
Putting the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice, Uxin Banner no longer views "greenness" and "growth" as an either‑or proposition. On restored sandy lands, the under‑forest economy, eco‑agriculture and eco‑tourism have flourished. Sand‑fixing shrubs are now processed into animal feed and biomass fuel, and local authorities are exploring photovoltaic‑powered desert control, the Global Times learned.
Sand control is no longer just about keeping sand away; it's a development approach that guarantees a greener and better living environment alongside a booming economy and increasing incomes.
On Monday afternoon, when Sakolsky finally stepped into the forest named after him, this American teacher witnessed the Chinese woman's perseverance and commitment to her promises. The $5,000 donated without expectations has grown into a thriving forest of around 50,000 trees.
"A promise is a promise. Ms. Yin fulfilled her promise," Sakolsky said. After 27 years, the wasteland is green, and Sakolsky and Yin are "brother and sister."
"This is the answer to how we guide young people: We must teach them love and perseverance. We need to show young people photos of Ms. Yin planting trees, digging the soil with her bare hands," Sakolsky remarked while packing a jar of sand. He said he planned to bring it back to the US, telling his grandchildren it is not just a jar of sand, but "a jar of love."
Sakolsky told the Global Times earlier that the younger generation only knows about the dust-covered landscape from photos and stories of the elderly. It is important to tell them how the greenness is achieved, and how every single person can contribute to making an extensive forest in the harshest environment.
"I see where China and America can work together. I see it, so I will not quit. She [Yin] never quit. 'Quit' is not in her vocabulary," Sakolsky said with emotion on Monday.
"Chinese and Americans can be family. We can get over the differences if we focus on the similarities... If we focus on our similarities and not our differences, we can solve the problems."
At the end of Monday's schedule, Yin and Sakolsky planted another sapling together, just as they did about three decades ago, but in a completely different landscape.
This new sapling carries on the story of not only greenness through generations of joint efforts, but also kindness across the Pacific Ocean.
。在赛事直播过程中，两名解说员调侃张继科“他是不是还是想回家上综艺”“上综艺不用出这么多汗”，还评论其表情“痛苦面具来了，大家可以截图，回家做表情包”。
二 | 相关言论引发张继科部分球迷不满，希望官方能彻查事件经过。来源：网友视频截图极目新闻记者注意到，事发后，张继科官方粉丝后援会账号“张继科球迷会”发文称：“本次赛事中，张继科先生以普通参赛选手的身份，积极突破自我、挑战全新运动领域，全程认真参赛、尊重规则、尊重对手、尊重工作人员，以积极谦逊的态度完成赛程，充分展现了职业运动员的体育竞技精神。但令人遗憾的是，贵方官方直播间作为赛事权威发声窗口，本应秉持客观、公正、尊重、专业的解说准则，正向传播体育竞技的热血与包容，却出现极其失范的解说行为。在直播过程中，涉事解说人员多次刻意针对张继科先生发表不当言论，公然调侃、嘲讽其参赛行为，恶意发表贬低性、戏谑性言论。该言论并非客观赛事点评、专业技术分析，而是带有强烈主观偏见、人身调侃的恶意抹黑，公然否定张继科先生的参赛态度与拼搏付出。
三 | 基于以上事实，仅代表支持张继科的球迷粉丝，提出诉求：请贵方彻查事件经过，对相关人员作出处理，就直播中多次恶意调侃、贬低张继科先生的不当言行，进行正式道歉，直面失误与言行失范问题，态度诚恳、正视错误，杜绝敷衍回应。”来源：网友视频截图据封面新闻报道，8月2日上午，记者发现赛事官方解说员在当日直播中代表组委会及其本人发布对张继科本人的道歉。该解说员在直播中坦言，自己也是乒乓球爱好者，也一直在关注张继科本人的事迹。认为不应该用一些戏谑或者调侃的言论去评论张继科。
四 | HYROX是2017年诞生于德国的全球标准化室内综合健身竞速赛事，也被不少爱好者称作“健身界马拉松”。赛事理念面向所有运动爱好者，兼顾大众参与性与体能竞技性。来源：网友视频截图2日下午4时许，赛事组委会就此事发布致歉声明，首先向参加HYROX成都站赛事的张继科先生，以及观看赛事直播的广大观众，致以诚挚的歉意。2026年8月1日，26-27赛季HYROX健身跑系列赛成都站开赛。
五 | 他们十分荣幸地获悉，张继科先生报名了男子接力组别的比赛。然而，在比赛直播中，解说嘉宾的不当评述，给广大观看赛事直播的观众带来了负面的观赛体验，也背离了HYROX这项运动的初衷。对此，他们向张继科先生和广大网友表示诚挚的歉意，并进行了深刻的反思。对两位当事的解说嘉宾，组委会已于昨日（8月1日）解除了合作关系。来源：赛事组委会HYROX一直致力于打造一项每个人都可以参与的竞技型健身跑赛事，主张“每个人都是自己的冠军”的运动精神内核。他们对张继科先生在比赛中表现出的拼搏精神与坚韧的运动品质表示由衷的钦佩和无比的敬意。但因他们直播管理工作中的疏忽，给各方均带来了负面的体验，他们非常抱歉。他们将完善解说嘉宾的遴选与培训机制，明确专业规范与行为准则。
六 | 加强直播内容的审核与管理，杜绝此类情况再次发生。他们也将以此为鉴，持续提升赛事各环节的组织水平，让每一位健身跑参赛者，都能在HYROX这项赛事中，感受到最热忱的欢迎和最硬核的运动体验。
七 | 致歉声明中还表示，HYROX中国已经向张继科先生及本次一同参赛的队友发出邀请，诚挚地邀请参与未来HYROX中国的各类比赛。极目新闻记者综合整理（来源：极目新闻）
