China hires Brian Orser to coach figure skaters for 2022 Winter Olympics

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In preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese Figure Skating Association has hired the coaching team of famous Canadian coach Brian Orser.

Orser and his staff will visit China periodically, taking part in guiding Chinese athletes and coaching members, helping them to prepare to snatch medals at the next winter Olympics.

Orser's coaching team is currently one of the most successful in the world for single skating. It has helped top-class figure skating players including Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan, Kim Yuna of South Korea, and Javier Femandez of Spain, to achieve accomplishments in Olympics and world championships.

Figure skating coach Brian Orser (R) with his protege Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan during the ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup 2017 in Moscow. /VCG Photo

The team is mostly comprised of retired figure skating athletes, and coaches specialized in paces and tiptoes, with two-time Winter Olympics silver medalist Orser at the helm.

Addressing the media after a signing ceremony with the Chinese association, Orser explained, "I will have the best knowledge as we move forward to the Olympics. The time is now for this."

"You know three and half years make a long time. But it’s really very short time. So the time is now to move and the timing is right," he added.

Chair of Chinese Figure Skating Association, Shen Xue, said the association "hopes that Orser's team could share their experiences with our coaches and athletes."

“We not only intend to cultivate our athletes, but also to train our home coaches. We also target the establishment of a platform for international communications to push interactions forward."