Hockey crossover an all but impossible task

It's fun to fantasize, but China realistically has only two chances of experiencing a miracle on ice at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: slim and slimmer.

While the nation's sports brain-trust can legitimately theorize about turning track stars into bobsledders or rowers into cross-country skiers ahead of the Games, it's a huge leap of faith to imagine that elite field hockey players can "transfer" to the ice in time to be competitive in the world's toughest team sport.

That's like assuming badminton superstar Li Dan, if given a year or two to practice, would be ready to challenge Roger Federer to a tennis match. Or that swimming legend Sun Yang could successfully "cross over" to box Anthony Joshua.