The 2017 Asian Winter Games are set to begin this Sunday, February 19. On Friday, the Chinese short track speed skating and cross-country skiing delegations headed to Sapporo to begin their preparations. 

Short track speed skating has traditionally been one of China's strongest events, with the country notably scooping all four women's gold medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. 

Indeed, China's first ever Winter Olympic gold was in the 500 meter short track, won by Yang Yang at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. 

Despite China's recent dominance in the event, traditional rivals South Korea is expected to provide stiff competition. Team China's short-track skater Han Tianyu expressed concerns over his chances of victory. 

"As we know there can be many unexpected accidents on the ice, so we have no idea what will happen," Han said. “All I can do is to try my best to get good results." 

Although China's cross-country skiing team has less of a storied history than its speed skating counterparts, the skiing delegation is nevertheless upbeat about its chances at this year's Games. For skier Sun Qinghai, a medal place certainly doesn't feel out of reach. 

"Our goal is to stand on the podium and we will try our best to achieve that," China’s cross-country skier Sun said. “We will not pass up such a good opportunity to win honors for our country." 

The 34 athletes in these two delegations will put in display what they can do in front of hundreds of people in Sapporo.