Let the Games commence!

Team China targeting glory in old favorites on the ice as well as some snowy surprises

Boasting traditional strength on ice and emerging talent on snow, China looks set to show it is closing the gap to the world's winter sports superpowers at Pyeongchang 2018.

For Chinese reporters at previous Games, the Winter Olympics usually involved staying around the ice sports venues. This year in Pyeongchang, however, Team China's expanding prowess means journalistic resources are being more evenly spread across all three venue clusters in the South Korean host city.

Although not the biggest team in terms of athlete numbers, the Chinese delegation in Pyeongchang is the most diversified group since the country's Winter Olympics debut in 1980 in New York. A total of 82 athletes will compete in 55 events－11 of those making their Olympic debut－across five sports through Feb 25.

China's biggest Winter Olympics team was at the Vancouver Games, where 91 athletes competed, including our women's hockey team.

Gou Zhongwen, the delegation chief and China's sports minister, has urged Chinese Olympians to do their best on and off the ice and snow to represent the country's rising winter sports ambitions.

"We've sensed the intense fighting atmosphere since landing in Pyeongchang. Our athletes are well prepared and so eager to come out to vie with the world's best," Gou said during a pre-Games mobilization meeting in Pyeongchang.

"Yet we shall present the best manner and stick to the clean-competition principle while making the greatest effort for good results. The performance here－whatever our eventual number of medals－matters a lot to promote the profile of winter sports and inspire greater participation back home," he said.