Stay on the ice for the Beijing leg of the international figure skating series, the Audi Cup of China, which is expected to further promote the sport ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The fifth stop of the six-event Grand Prix of Figure Skating, will be held at the Capital Gymnasium from November 18th through 20th. Around 200 athletes from 11 countries are competing for spots in the year-end final in France in December.
This will be the 14th consecutive year that China has hosted a leg of the prestigious series, and the eighth time Beijing has staged the event.
As a strong force in figure skating, the PRC expects to hone its young talent through competition against the world's best at the marquee event, in preparation for the 2022 Winter Games.
China's competitors include men's singles skater Jin Boyang, the country's first World Championship bronze medalist in the discipline, four-time Chinese national champion Li Zijun in the ladies singles, and re-matched pairs Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao, as well as Peng Cheng and Jin Yang, who are all expected to deliver top-level performances.
Traditionally strong in pairs skating, China recently decided to regroup its two leading duos by making them switch partners, with the aim of building better chemistry.
The top six athletes after the six competitions in mens, ladies, pairs, and ice dancing will qualify for the series Final in Marseille, from December 8th through 11th.
"It has been nearly half-a-year since we became a pair. We have very good cooperation, and can finish the entire exercise with very high quality. Next week we will attend the first stop of the competition in Canada, and we are going to try to get good results," said Zhang Hao, China figure skater.
"We have a tacit understanding, and full confidence. I am looking forward to how we will perform in Canada," said Yu Xiaoyu, China figure skater.
