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Jan. 27 - With two days away, hosts China are setting out for a fierce and wide ice and snow battlefield against three strong battalions1 to regain2 their supremacy3 in winter sports in the sixth Asian Winter Games.
Among the 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the hosts topped the medal tally4 only twice in Harbin, China in 1996 and in Kangwon, South Korea in 1999, of the five previous Asian Winter Games, a striking comparison to their unchallengeable upperhands in the summer sports. Despite the clear-cut home enthusiasm, China are facing an uphill race against the battalions of Japan, South Korea and Kazakhstan in all 47 events of the sixth Winter Asiad, which will feature all OCA members for the first time in China's northeast province. Figure skating, short-track speedskating, freestyle aerials andcross country skiing are the best bets for China with the presenceof world champions Shen Xue/Zhang Hongbo and Pang5 Qing/Tong Jian in figure skating pairs, short-track Olympic champion Wang Meng, aerials titlist Han Xiaopeng, runner-up Li Nina and Vasaloppet China winner Wang Chunli. In their delegation6, the biggest of their own and of the Games China also have the shots for golds in both the men's and women's 100m speedskating, biathlon and women's ice hockey. The first obstacle for China on the way to the top of the tally,remains to be Japan as they have been atop the medal tally thrice in the first two and the fifth Games, all on their home soil. Andthey again field in 113 athletes for all events except freestyle aerials in Changchun. Against the fourth place with six golds in the fourth Games, Japan collected 24 in a rush to beat South Korea (10) and China (9) to the distant second and third places in the last Winter Asiad. Women's singles figure skating will be a showcase for Japanese Suguri Fumie, the runner-up of the 2006 World Championships and fourth-placer of the Turin Winter Olympics, in the absence of fellow Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa. In speedskating, Japan hold three of the seven women's Asian records, and their fortress7 of long-distance events through Maki Tabata and Hiroki Hirako continue to be untouchable for the Chinese skaters. Ice hockey is another stronghold for Japan, who are tipped to vie for the honor against Kazakhstan, the only two teams capable of reaching the World Championship Group A competitions from Asia The Japanese cross country skiers also pose strong challenge for Chinese Wang Chunli and Li Geliang, runner-up of Vasaloppet China. South Korea, who have never been out of the top three in the tally, will be the toughest obstacle to clear at the rink. Their short-track skaters surprised the world by taking six of the eightgold medals in the Turin Winter Olympics, together with three silvers and one bronze. 点击  收听单词发音
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