With the countdown ticking down to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics coinciding with China's biggest festival, the world's second-largest economy is immersed in hearty anticipation for a robust Year of the Tiger, buoyed by its top leader's winter sports enthusiasm and a national push to build a sporting powerhouse.

President Hassan Rouhani says that the Iranian athletes can make their nation proud and happy at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.