Youth help to halt ice hockey's slide

Lack of new talent forces Sun and other senior players out of retirement for world tourney

Ice hockey remains a niche sport at the elite level in China despite public enthusiasm for Beijing's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, but increasing youth participation bodes well for the future, according to insiders.

However, they say progress is unlikely to be fast. Hopes that the Chinese women's team will take part in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics have suffered a blow as the team finished third at the World Championship Division I Group B tournament in Beijing last month.