Team China

Largest-ever China to open chapter in Winter Games

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-29 14:59

BEIJING - The largest ever Chinese delegation aims at making records by winning more medals in the pending Winter Olympics in Vancouver, as they did in last two Games.

China announced a 182-member delegation on Thursday, including 91 athletes and 91 officials, for the 21st Winter Games, slated for February 12- 28.

It is not only China's largest ever squad to a winter Olympics, but also a team with the most berths, in which 30 men and 61 women athletes heading for Vancouver, spearhead by defending champions Wang Meng and Han Xiaopeng.

"We had made records in 2002 and 2006 Games. I hope we can continue the momentum to surpass the previous games' performance in Vancouver," said Xiao Tian, deputy Chef-de-Mission of the Chinese delegation.

"I hope we will open a new chapter in the Chinese winter Olympic history this time in Vancouver," he added.

China did not end its winter Olympic gold draught until the Salt Lake City Games in 2002 when Yang Yang took two short track speed skating titles.

In the Turin Games in 2006, China took two golds, one from the women's short track skating, and the other from the men's freestyle aerials.

"We spent more than 20 years longing for the first gold since we made debut in the Games in 1980. China becomes more competitive now and draws more attention after the 2008 Beijing Olympics."

The Chinese athletes in 10 sports are now preparing for the next month's Games. According to the secretary general of the delegation Zhao Yinggang, eight teams have been training abroad since January.

China's stronghold of short track speed skating team is leaving Beijing on Friday and they will have the closed-door training in a city near Vancouver for 10 days.

Wang Meng, winner in the women's 500m in Turin, again comes out the hottest favorite for the short track speed skating events. When asked about her aim in Vancouver, the 25-year-old said: "I'm very determined to beat the South Koreans."

China's short track team head coach Li Yan, who was the U.S coach in Turin, noted that she saw more than just South Korea as a threat to China.

"South Korea, the host Canada and the U.S are all our strong opponents," she said.

Figure skating pairs event is another medal hopeful for China as former world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo came back from retirement and won two ISF Grand Prix events before lifting trophy in the Finales to tune themselves up for their fourth Olympic campaign.

"We still have time to adjust ourselves in Vancouver after we leave Beijing on February 7. One week is enough before the competition begins," said Yao Bin, head coach of the Chinese figure skating team.

The women's curling and ice hockey teams seldom stayed in China after they clinched berths for Vancouver as it was hard for the girls to find capable domestic rivals.

"The opponents knew us quite well after we took the gold in last year's world championships," said Li Dongyan, Chinese curling team leader.

"We will just focus on every match in Vancouver and not think about the medals," he added.

Apart from the curling and ice hockey teams, six other teams of freestyle skiing, snowboard, biathlon, Alpine skiing, cross-country and speed skating are now training in Canada, the U.S and Germany.

Li Nina, a favorite four years ago in Turin, is still leading the women's freestyle aerials ranking, and Wang Beixing pins China's medal hope in women's speed skating.