China's Beijing 2022 delegation established

The Chinese delegation for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games was officially established on January 27. The 387-member delegation includes 176 athletes, and is the largest in the history of the Chinese participation in Winter Olympics. 

Members of the Chinese delegation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics take an oath to participate in the games at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 25, 2022. (Photo courtesy of the Winter Sports Management Center, General Administration of Sport of China)

Chinese athletes will compete in 15 disciplines in all seven Olympic winter sports. They have secured a total of 194 spots in 104 events, or 95.4 percent of the total for Beijing 2022, and four of the spots will depend on the athletes’ performance in certain events.

Young athletes make the majority of the Chinese squad. According to statistics, the average age of the Chinese athletes competing in the Winter Games is 25.2 years old, and 131 athletes will make their debut in the Winter Games, accounting for 74.43 percent of the total Chinese competitors. He Jinbo of the men's freestyle skiing and Peng Qingyue of the women's ski jumping are 17 years old and the youngest athletes of Team China.

“I hope I can outdo myself and leave no regret,” said Chinese snowboarder Liu Jiayu, who’s about to join her fourth straight Winter Olympic Games. Winning a silver medal in women’s snowboard halfpipe at PyeongChang 2018, Liu is the first Chinese athlete to have reached the heights of the Olympic podium in the event.

China has always been competitive in short-track speed skating. Its short track team contributed 10 out of China's total 13 gold medals at Winter Games.

Ren Ziwei (L) and Wu Dajing (R) compete in the 2020-21 season ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating series in Japan. (Photo courtesy of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games)

The team, having secured maximum quota places for Beijing 2022, is led by three-time Olympic skaters Wu Dajing and Fan Kexin. They will once again go for gold and defend the honor of Team China.

Eight Chinese athletes will compete in all the five events of figure skating. The pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, as well as figure skating star Jin Boyang will continue their performance at the Winter Olympics. Four years ago, in PyeongChang, Sui and Han took silver, and Jin was ranked fourth to set a best result for the country in men's singles figure skating at Winter Olympic Games.

Besides, Team China has also made historic breakthroughs for being qualified for the first time in a number of Olympic snow events.

Han Cong and Sui Wenjing compete in the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 in Stockholm. (Photo from the official website of the International Olympic Committee)

Gu Ailing, the first female free skier ever to land a double cork 1440 in a competition, will join multiple events at Beijing 2022. She said she can’t wait to participate in the Winter Olympics and have high expectations for her performance.

Young athlete Zhao Jiawen will compete for the first time in the Winter Games and join Nordic Biathlon. He is the first Chinese athlete to have been qualified for the event in the Winter Games. He said he will get ready for it and go all out.

Compared with four years ago when China competed in five sports, 12 disciplines and 53 events, this time the country is joining two new sports of ice hocky and luge, three new disciplines including Nordic Biathlon, and 47 new events such as women's 5,000m speed skating. There’s a big increase in both the number of events the country participates in and the number of Chinese athletes competing in the Winter Games.

Team China is expected to debut in a number of Olympic events, and is also trying to turn from a follower to a leader in certain events. China will compete in all the events of alpine skiing, and a 12-member squad of cross-country skiing of the country will also join all the 12 events of the discipline. 

Chinese snowboarder Cai Xuetong competes in the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard World Cup at Laax, Switzerland, Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games)