Newly found Chinese half-pipe ski team expects podium finish at Beijing 2022

The Chinese half-pipe ski team, who was set up in April, expects to win a medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Mauro Nunez, coach of the Chinese half-pipe ski team, said on Saturday that he expected high on the young team.

"I've been the coach since late April," said the Spanish who had lived in Canada for years. "We have six girls and four boys in the team now. It's difficult, because skiing is a very new sport in China."

"We will try to make the Pyongchang 2014, but our main focus will be the Beijing 2022. I hope we can make the podium there," he added.

The half-pipe skiing is a very young event in China. Half-pipe skiing was formally endorsed by the International Ski Federation in June 2010 and was approved by the International Olympic Committee in April 2011 to be an official sport at the 2014 Sochi Games.

An Olympic standard half-pipe opened in Genting Resort Secret Garden on Saturday. Genting is the training base for the national half-pipe ski and snowboard team, and will hold the FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships in 2021. Endit