The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on Thursday that Chinese movie star Wu Jing has been invited to be ice hockey ambassador.

"Hello, Wu Jing. As IIHF President, I want to thank you very much for your support for ice hockey," IIHF President Luc Tardif said. "And I hope to see you soon in Beijing with your new jersey."

IIHF has worked hard to promote ice hockey in Asia and did its best to exploit the two Winter Olympic Games in 2018 and 2022. They launched campaigns in different languages on various social platforms as part of the efforts to help more people understand and develop an interest in the sport.

Tardif said he looks forward to working with Wu given his great influence as a popular movie star in China.

"I appreciate the kind invitation from the International Ice Hockey Federation," Wu said. "In the midst of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, winter sports are growing in popularity in China. There's teamwork, hits and sticking skills in hockey games, just like our ancient calvaries with piking skills.

"It's a great honor to be the ambassador for the International Ice Hockey Federation. I would like to help promote ice hockey in China. I hope more and more children and families can participate in ice hockey. Best wishes to Chinese ice hockey teams. Good luck and be vigorous in the Winter Olympic Games. See you in the rink!"

Wu said he watched several games of the Chinese women's ice hockey team and was impressed by the players' hardworking performance as well as their resilience. China beat Denmark 3-1 and Japan 2-1 after an intense shootout.