China cross country skiers aim to make history in Vancouver

CHANGCHUN, Northeast China, Jan. 2 --- Chinese cross country skiing team could make history in the Vancouver Olympics even though the skiers may not grab any medals, a top official said here on Saturday.

Gao Xuedong, chief of the Skiing Department of the Chinese Winter Sports Management Center, said that Chinese skiers have got a lot of experience in international competitions in the past few years.

"I believe that we can make history at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games," Gao said.

Chinese skiers have competed in eight Winter Olympics since 1980 and their best result came from Turin four years ago, when Wang Chunli finished 18th in the women's 10km and the women's team was 13th in the relay.

"More and more Chinese skiers can reach top 30 in international competitions. We have achieved great progress in the past few years," Gao said.

China has sent five women's skiers and two men to train in Europe and they will warm up for the Olympics in the Estonia World Cup later.