SPORTS> China
Skaters start Olympic race on home ice
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-09 10:02

China's short track speed skaters will start their Olympic season next week in Beijing with the first stop of the 2009-2010 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup competition.

Led by Turin Winter Olympic gold medalist Wang Meng, the backbone of the national team will take part in the competition which will be held from Sept 17-20 at the Beijing Capital Gym.

More than 200 skaters from about 30 countries and regions will take part in the event, which will feature all eight Winter Olympic events - 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m and relay races for men and women.

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"The Chinese national team is now preparing for the Vancouver Games," said Zhao Yinggang, director of China's Winter Sports Administrative Center.

"From the opening stop of the season the skaters will try to learn more about their rivals, find their competitive rhythm and accumulate experience," he said.

Due to the opening date of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, the short track speed skating season has been brought forward by about a month and there will only be four meets this season.

The last two stops, which will be in Montreal, Canada, from Nov 5-8, and Marquette, the US, from Nov 12-15, will also serve as qualifiers for the Vancouver Games, which start on February 12.