China women's football team to resume training for Olympic qualification playoffs

BEIJING - The Chinese women's football team will resume training in late March to prepare for the Olympic qualification playoffs against South Korea, the Chinese side announced on Thursday.

The team, which flew back to China on March 6 after a 37-day stay in Australia, will assemble in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, it said on its Weibo account without giving an exact date.

The playmaker of the Chinese side Wang Shuang, who sat out of the first phase of China's qualification campaign due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, is expected to rejoin the team.

The 25-year-old was stuck in Wuhan when the then-epicenter of the outbreak was locked down on January 23.

The Chinese outfit is scheduled to play away against South Korea in the first leg of the playoffs on June 4, with the second leg to be held five days late. Venues for both legs remain undecided due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.