Xinhua News Agency, Rome, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese men's ice hockey team will travel to Zagreb, Croatia at the end of April to participate in the IIHF 2022 World Men's Ice Hockey Championship Division B Group A.

　　It is understood that the team based on the Chinese men's ice hockey lineup for the Beijing Winter Olympics has all assembled in Italy for pre-match training.

Ye Jinguang, Fu Shuai, Wang Taylor, Zhang Zesen, Zheng Enlai, Chen Zimeng and other players who have performed well in the Beijing Winter Olympics are all in a good competitive state.

Zhou Kelin, Shen Jialei, Guo Ning and several other players who missed the Winter Olympics due to injury will also have the opportunity to play for their country at the World Championships this time.

Zanatar Ivano is still the leader of the Chinese team's coaching bench.

　　Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the men's World Ice Hockey Championship Division B Group A has been forced to cancel for two consecutive years.

The Chinese team was fifth in the 2019 tournament with a 1-4 record.

　　Judging from the strength of the team's lineup, the Chinese team is in an advantageous position in this tournament, and winning the championship is their goal.

The last time the team participated in the World Championship Group A was in 2007.

Fighting strong enemies in the Winter Olympics, the Chinese team's world ranking rose from 32nd to 27th, becoming the team with the highest ranking in this event.

　　This time, the Chinese team's biggest rival for the championship is the Dutch team, a veteran powerhouse that has participated in 50 World Championships. They were among the top eight of the World Championships in the 1980s, and three years ago, they ranked last in Group A and B. Making them relegated to Division B for the second time in their history.

Tall stature, fierce style of play, and rich experience in professional events are the team's strengths.

　　Since the Australian team announced its withdrawal, there are only five teams participating in this competition, namely China, Croatia, Netherlands, Spain and Israel.

According to the rules, these 5 teams will compete for the championship in a single round-robin system, and the one with the highest points will win the championship of this group and be promoted to the first-level event.

　　On the evening of the 26th, Beijing time, the Chinese team will face Israel in their first game.