World Cup experiences brings more sponsors, says China biathlon head coach

China biathlon head coach Claus Siebert said on Tuesday that World Cup appearances can draw more attention from the sponsors to the Chinese biathletes.

The Chinese biathlon team came to the spotlight again and again this season by finishing third place at World Cup series in Austria and Germany respectively.

Chinese youngster Dong Xue also stunned some favorites, ranking seventh on the overall standings after finishing five World Cup series.

"World Cup helps the Chinese girls to improve in skills and experience, but sponsors are our another concern," Siebert told Xinhua on Tuesday after China won the second biathlon gold medal at the the ongoing Asian Winter Games.

"Chinese women athletes have become more and more well-known to the world as we do have some top ten players in the team.

"We are in contact with some of the sponsors, and the sponsors who know me also talk with me about that," said the former world champion from Germany, who signed a contract with the Chinese biathlon team until next year.

Chinese biathletes are set to compete at the World Championships 2007 and the last three stops of the World Cup series this season after finishing the Asian Winter Games biathlon events.

The World Championships are slated for Feb. 2 to 11 at Antholz,Italy. That means the Chinese biathletes, now still competing in Asian Winter Games, will miss the sprint and pursuit events in the initial competitions of the world championships.

The team will then move to Finland, Norway and Russia for the remaining World Cup series following the world championships.

"We took part in the World Cup every year, and it serves as a good chance to collect experience in building up strong mind, cool head and effective strategies, to name just a few," said Kong Yingchao, the gold medal winner at women's 10km pursuit on Tuesday.

"The World Cup is a major step towards the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics," the 25-year-old veteran added.

Source:Xinhua