Winter athletes desperate to impress on home soil

As the festive atmosphere of New Year's holiday wafted around the city of Urumqi, the sight of speedskater Rehanbai Talabuhan skimming across the ice at a suburban rink, making circle after circle, was truly impressive.

The young man, a member of the Kazak ethnic group, was among 226 athletes from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region who have been training wholeheartedly for the 13th National Winter Games. They all have one aim: to earn glory when the event is held in the regional capital later this month.

"It's a really rare opportunity for us to be able to compete in front of our families. We are so desperate to prove that Xinjiang is a force to be reckoned with in winter sports," said the 24-year-old, who started skating at age 13.