China's Ning Zhongyan in action during the men's 1000m race at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating competition in Calgary, Canada, December 12, 2021. /CFP
China's Ning Zhongyan in action during the men's 1000m race at the ISU World Cup Speed Skating competition in Calgary, Canada, December 12, 2021. /CFP
Team China has secured 22 quotas in speed skating for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, according to the International Skating Union (ISU) on Thursday.
The allocation of quotas was mainly based on the results of four stops of ISU World Cup from November 13 to December 13 in Poland, Norway, the U.S. and Canada.
Among the 22 quotas Chinese skaters have earned, 14 belong to the women's squad, while the men's clinched eight. China's female skaters have qualified for all seven events – 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, mass start and team pursuit – whereas their male counterparts are absent in two events, 5000m and 10000m.
According to ISU rules, China can send a maximum of eight females and six males to Beijing 2022, and the roster has not yet been finalized. Ning Zhongyan and Gao Tingyu, though, were the first to be guaranteed appearances on the rink at the upcoming Games for their outstanding performances during the World Cup series, while all other spots will be filled through internal selection.
Fourteen gold medals will be awarded in speed skating atBeijing 2022, which runs from February 4 to 20.
(With input from Xinhua News Agency)