Ice hockey squad train in Prague

As part of exchanges between China and the Czech Republic, a team of 22 young Chinese ice hockey players are undergoing a 10-day training session in Prague, coinciding with President Xi Jinping’s visit.

The session, which started on Thursday, will also see the Chinese players, age about 16, play three games against their Czech counterparts.

Slavomir Lener, general manager of the Czech men’s national ice hockey team, said the training focuses on strengthening "their sense of hockey" as "this is a game for 10 people, not individuals".

"This is just the beginning, and we will see if the cooperation will continue after this training," Lener said at the Czech Ice Hockey Association headquarters.

Lener said he is excited about training the Chinese players as they will compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics, to be hosted by Beijing and Zhangjiakou in Hebei province.

It is not the first time that he has trained Chinese players. He spent six months in 1995 coaching the national squad in temperatures of -30 C in Northeast China.

It was "crazy but great", he said.