BEIJING, March. 1 -- China will look to the private sector to back rising winter sports stars and improve the country's performances at future Games.

The country won 11 medals in Turin, its best showing since entering the Winter Olympics fold in 1980, and found new heroes that could spark a surge in the popularity of winter sports among the public and investors.

"Our athletes' performance in Turin will help us forge partnerships with more international and domestic companies," Xiao Tian, deputy head of the Chinese Olympic delegation, said yesterday.

"Company sponsorship and the sports lottery should be important financial sources for China's winter sports."

China is a perennial powerhouse in the Summer Games and the government, and business sponsors, have invested far more in athletes training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics than in their cold-weather counterparts.

"It's impossible for China to devote itself fully to developing winter sports," Xiao said, adding economic development, geographical and climate restrictions limited the popularity of skiing, skating and other winter sports to the middle class of China's north.

Han Xiaopeng, who won China's first gold on the snow in the men's freestyle skiing aerials, is a native of southern China and had never seen snow before being picked to take part in a winter sports development program at the age of 12 on the basis of his acrobatic skills.

The onus of improving at the 2010 Vancouver Games will rest on the shoulders of young athletes like Han as the old guard of Chinese winter athletes hang up their skates and skis.

Veteran short track skater Yang Yang, whose two golds at the Salt Lake City Games were China's first at a Winter Olympics, is retiring and passing the baton to 20-year-old Wang Meng, who took a gold, a silver and a bronze at Turin.

"This should be my last Olympic competition and I'm happy that our team has welcomed the new leader Wang," Yang said.

Zhao Hongbo, who with partner Shen Xue took bronze in the pairs figure skating, has also said he will not compete in an Olympics again.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)