China’s Olympic ice hockey team should set goal of building skills at Games, say veteran players

Many ice hockey fans including a group of Chinese veteran amateur players are sceptical about China’s chances in the sport at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022. The host nation was granted an automatic entry for its ice hockey without having to prove its performance in events leading up to the Games. But former player Yu Xin  said it would be an honour for China’s team to “just score one goal” against a strong team from overseas. The member of the 1979 Beijing ice hockey squad is among those who believe that, despite the national team’s growing pains, the Olympics are growing the base of Chinese fans of the “coolest game”.