Tibetan athletes travel to Olympic training camp

Middle-distance runner Tobgyal and seven other athletes from Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region have traveled to Ethiopia for a training camp, according to the Tibet Sports Bureau.

The team departed on Dec 27, with their camp expected to conclude by early March 2019, the bureau said.

It is the second time the Tibet autonomous region has sent athletes abroad for training between 2018 and 2019.

Such a camp last took place in early February in 2018, with 64 athletes involved, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The three-month-long camp is being held in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Among the eight athletes, five are members of the national athletic team and three are substitutes for national and regional athletic teams.

Most of the involved athletes are young, including 24-year-old Tobgyal, who won men's bronze at the Jakarta Asian Games and gold in the 10,000 meters at the 13th National Games.

China's General Administration of Sport has since 2011 been making significant efforts in training middle-distance runners in high altitude regions such as Tibet, Qinghai, and Yunnan.