The General Administration of Sports in China has initiated a plan to recruit additional athletes for the Winter Olympic Games, welcoming competitors from a variety of fields nationwide.
While China took part in only four major events at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, it intends to enter five additional events during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, China plans to compete in all seven major sports and 90 percent of minor ones at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, according to Ren Hongguo, the head of China's Winter Sports Administration Center.
Chinese delegation to the Sapporo Asian Winter Games
Currently, China has 22 national teams prepared to compete in the Winter Games. Ren mentioned that the administration plans to search for talent among professional players around the age of 18. They will also look for suitable athletes beyond Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, which are all located in the northernmost part of China. They may even tap Summer Olympic athletes to train for winter events.
In 2015, 121 candidates competed for membership on the national skeleton sledding team. In October of that year, the team was officially selected, including members who previously competed in basketball, track and field and cycling.
By the end of 2015, China's national Winter Olympics team members came from 11 institutions; now the number has risen to more than 20.
