China market

The largest-ever Asian Winter Games kicked off in the northeastern city of Changchun on Sunday evening. Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the ceremony and announced the opening of the competitions. This year's event features all 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia for the first time in its history. 15 countries and regions, including Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, will make their debut this year.

China has dispatched a delegation composed of over 260 athletes to compete in all events. Japan dispatched the second largest delegation, with over 110 athletes, while South Korea has the third largest team. The weeklong Games, to be co-hosted by Changchun and nearby cities in northeast China's Jilin Province, will give out 369 medals covering five main events, including figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating.

^{Source:english.cri.cn
Photo:AsianWinterGamesChangchunn}