China launches 126-athlete 2026 Winter Olympics delegation

Headlined by a glittering cast of Olympic champions, China's 126-strong Winter Olympic contingent is going all out to prove its world-class athletic prowess on ice and snow at Milano-Cortina 2026.

Four years after making the country proud by winning a record total of nine gold medals at Beijing 2022, China's winter sports delegation is determined to maintain the momentum by competing for their best-ever medal haul at an overseas winter sports extravaganza in Italy.

Officially launched on Tuesday, the delegation consists of 286 members, including 126 athletes with an average age of 25 years, who will compete across 91 medal events in seven sports at the 2026 edition which opens in Milan on Feb 6.

The delegation also includes 32 foreign coaches, trainers and technical staff from 21 countries and regions, such as the United States, Canada and Finland, who have been hired to help prepare the athletes for the competition.

The team will be led by nine Olympic champions, including women's freeski superstar Gu Ailing, men's snowboarding prodigy Su Yiming and five-time Olympian Xu Mengtao in freestyle skiing aerials. In addition, 67 young athletes will be making their Winter Olympic debut in Italy.

Notably, 16 athletes on the delegation are from China's ethnic groups.

This will be the largest delegation China has ever assembled for an overseas Winter Olympics since the country's debut at Lake Placid, New York in 1980.

At Beijing 2022, China competed in 104 events across all seven sports, winning 15 medals—nine gold, four silver and two bronze—finishing fourth on the overall gold medal tally to achieve its best-ever Winter Games result at home.

China's previous best at an overseas Games was achieved in 2010, when the country claimed five gold medals in Vancouver, Canada.

Boasting a blend of youth and experience, the Chinese delegation is expected to deliver world-class performances in strength events, such as freestyle skiing aerials, freeski halfpipe and big air, snowboarding big air, short-track speed skating and figure skating pairs.