As Chinese President Xi Jinping kicks off his historic visit to the Czech Republic, a Chinese U16 ice hockey team has been training at an ice hockey club in Prague for the Winter Olympics in 2022.

As the first “close contact” between Chinese players and Czech coaches, the event marks the start of bilateral sport exchanges and injects impetus into the growing friendship of the two countries, said Jiri Kejval, president of the Czech Olympic Committee.

Chinese players are instructed by a Czech coach. (Photo: Guan Kejiang)

Ice hockey is extremely popular in the Central European country. Thanks to its excellent skills, flexible tactics and tenacious spirit, the Czech ice hockey team is one of the best in the world. The Czech team won three straight Ice Hockey World Championship titles from 1999 to 2001 and was crowned again in 2005.

Wang Zhili, head of the Chinese team, said that Chinese Ice Hockey Association has made training plans for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the Czech trip is a key part of the plan. Their 10-day itinerary will include training and two friendly matches, added Wang, who is also an official with China’s General Administration of Sport.

PrerostMiroslav, head coach of training center for youngsters, said that the Prague-based Sparta Prague ice hockey club is one of the best teams in the Czech Republic. With high-level training facilities, it was the training grounds for many famous Czech players.

Tomas Kral, president of Czech Ice Hockey Association,told the People’s Daily that the Czech side hasmade detailed plans and systematic training schedules for the visiting Chinese team. An experienced interpreter was also hired to help with the communication between Chinese players and Czech coaches.

Cui Yunjie, one of the Chinese team’s 22 players, feels excited about the training. "I play guard on the court, my Czech coach is also an expert on defensive tactics. The training has offered me new insights to the game," he explained.

Wu Guofeng, head coach of the Chinese team, said that the training helps improve the skills of Chinese players. The Czech coaches put more emphasis on details and their training is systematic.

Kralalso praisedthe performance of Chinese players, adding that some gifted ones could become world-class athletes in the future. “The Czech team will probably give way to the Chinese team within a few years if the Chinese team keeps growing this way,” he joked.