Chinese athletes compete during the Para Ice Hockey test event for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, in Beijing on April 9, 2021. Photo: VCG

China's National Para Ice Hockey Team, one of the eight teams competing in the sport at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, will go up against Slovakia for its opening match on March 5. Currently, Li Hongguan, 21, is preparing for the debut on the home field with his 17 teammates.

Li, from Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province, lost his left leg in a car accident when he was 6 years old, the Qingdao Evening Daily reported.

Recruited by China's national team in 2019, he quickly discovered that he was the scrawniest guy on the team, so he first dedicated himself to getting in better shape.

"In order to get the strength to balance and steer the sledge as quickly as I could, I often put a 10-kilogram barbell on the sledge," Li told media in an interview. 

"When I finally made it into the Beijing 20222 Winter Paralympic Games by training every day, I felt I had earned it."

Li scored eight goals for the Chinese team during the World Championships in 2021 and helped the team qualify for Beijing 2022. 

Speaking of why he decided to play the sport, Li said that the first time he took part in a practice session, he was immediately enticed by the feeling of flying across the ice rink. 

Para ice hockey is one of two ice events at the Beijing Paralympic Games. 

Athletes sit on double-blade sledges instead of skates to compete, so keeping balance is of the upmost importance. 

In addition to the ice sledge, athletes use two hockey sticks to propel themselves around and hit the hockey puck.

Para ice hockey is one of the most watched events at the Winter Paralympic Games due to the fierceness of the competitions. Like able-bodied ice hockey, it allows for reasonable collisions between athletes and therefore requires strong physical fitness.

Wang Jianbin, deputy team leader of the national team, said that the training intensity for this event has been quite high. 

In recent years, the Chinese Para Ice Hockey Team has always carried out such training. Generally, players train twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

With an average age below 25, the young team will make their debut on March 5.

Qiu Dianpeng, 20, is the youngest member of the team. 

Qiu also lost his left leg when he was 6 years old. 

Qiu began playing the sport in 2016 ago and has been using it as a means to improve his physical and mental fitness.

Wang Zhidong, 21, is one of the first athletes in China to play the sport. 

He was only 15 years old when he joined the Chinese Paralympic Hockey Training Team, making him the youngest member at the time. 

Because of his strong physique, fast speed and steady hand at dribbling, he plays center on the team.

The country has made its breakthrough in the sport onto the international stage in 2018 by winning the C-Pool World Championships in Vierumaki, Finland.

Global Times