Heat is on for ice and snow stars

With only six weeks to go before the Olympic flame lights up Milano-Cortina 2026, China's winter sports contingent is braced for the tough challenge of proving its prowess on ice and snow without the benefit of home advantage.

As the race for qualification heats up and their preparatory work enters the home stretch, China's ice and snow sports teams are going all out on the World Cup series, at home training bases and overseas camps to try to earn as many qualification quotas as possible, while fine-tuning their techniques, tricks and routines for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which open in Milan on Feb 6.

With the nine-gold, all-time best campaign at Beijing 2022 already consigned to history, the current delegation preparing for its Italian job is looking to draw strength from their home Games' legacy with better facilities, more experience and greater grassroots promotion overall to back up the country's winter sports ambition, said Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin.

Shen called on Chinese athletes to strive for glory for their nation at Milano-Cortina 2026, encouraging them to push ahead with their final preparations with confidence, while staying calm and level-headed to compete at their best in Italy.

She also reiterated the importance of adopting a vigilant and strict anti-doping approach throughout the preparation, sticking to the country's perpetual "zero-tolerance" attitude toward doping, to compete fairly and win clean medals at the winter sports extravaganza.