China

China to improve medals tally at Winter Asiad

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-01-28 15:54

Members of Chinese Sports Delegation witness China's national flag raising at the International Conference and Exhibition Center in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province on Sunday, January 28, 2007. [Xinhua]

CHANGCHUN, Northeast China -- China hope that they can move one slot higher in the medals tally at the 6th Asian Winter Games which is to kick off here on Sunday evening, said a Chinese delegation senior official.

Cui Dalin, deputy chef de mission of the delegation, revealed the hosts' goal in the Games after the flag-raising ceremony on Sunday.

"The Chinese athletes, highly spirited and motivated, hope to do a good job before their home spectators. So we wish we could finish second in the medals tally this time or even better," Cui told the reporters.

In the fifth Winter Asiad in 2003, Japan stood in the first place with 24 golds, 23 silvers and 20 bronzes, ahead of South Korea in 10, 8 and 10 respectively. China finished third in 9, 11 and 13.

"Japan is really strong in ice and snow events in Asia, and so is South Korea, both of them have world class athletes, but we have our own advantages too," he said.

Cui singled out the short-track speed skating, the short distance events in speed skating and figure skating pairs event as China's advantageous events.

The women's 500m speed skating may see Ren Hui, Turin bronze medalist in 500m and Wang Beixing, World Cup 500m winner in Novermber last year to vie for the gold.

Turin Olympics 500m short-track speed skating champion Wang Meng may be China's sole hope for a gold when South Koreans dominate the short track rink.

Two-time world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo will defend their pairs title in the figure skating for the third time running.