Prague, Aug 29 (CTK) – The interest of the Chinese in winter sports is rising before the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and this is why they are trying to lure excellent Czech ice-hockey players, biathletes as well as sport firms, daily Pravo writes yesterday.
Both countries have cooperated in football for long.
Pravo writes that retired Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved, 43, European Footballer of the Year in 2003, has become the face of the Chinese Super League for three years and the Czech Football Association helps develop “football academies” for youth in China.
Now, Czech-Chinese cooperation in winter sports is being discussed and Chinese want Czech hockey legends to help them promote this game.
The first step is a memorandum of support for winter sports that was signed by the Czech and Chinese Olympic committees’ heads last November, Pravo writes.
The Chinese are still interested in Czech aid in this field, Czech Olympic Committee chairman Jiri Kejval told Pravo.
Besides, Kejval as well as Chamber of Deputies chairman Jan Hamacek (Social Democrats, CSSD) met Chinese State General Administration of Sports director Liu Peng during the recent Summer Olympic in Rio.
Hamacek said China was highly interested in Czech experience, in particular in coaches to train Chinese athletes in winter sports.
This cooperation would also open interesting opportunities for Czech sport firms, Kejval told Pravo.
At present, talks are underway on the Czech firms’ help with the production of winter sport equipment, such as skis, Kejval added.
Pravo writes that more and more young Chinese play ice hockey and the Kunlun Red Star Beijing hockey club will play the KHL as of next year. Young Chinese hockey players have already visited the Czech Republic.
Slovaks, Canadians, Americans and Japanese are playing in Chinese ice-hockey clubs that would also like to offer contracts to some Czech players, Pravo adds.
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