Because its own ice hockey players are not competitive, China naturalized more than a dozen North Americans without further ado. Bizarre: The entire Olympic squad comes from one and the same club.
Jake Chelios is a professional ice hockey player from the USA. His name is now – translated into Mandarin – Jieke Kailiaosi. A language in which he cannot communicate. “Two or three words” He understands Chinese, says Chelios and laughs: “I had Spanish for six years in high school and didn’t learn anything. I didn’t even try then.” With his language barrier, he is in good company with his team at these Olympic Games.
Chelios, whose father Chris won ice hockey silver with the USA in 2002, is representing hosts China at the Olympics. Along with two US compatriots, eleven Canadians (some with Chinese roots) and one Russian. They were all naturalized without further ado and now form the Chinese national ice hockey team with ten locals. This is possible because the world association IIHF allows a change of nation if a player has been playing in the respective country for two years and has not previously played for his country of origin.
Olympic team is actually a club team
A national team that is actually a club team. Because yes, it gets even more bizarre: All the players in the Olympic squad come from one and the same club. It’s called Kunlun Red Star, is based in Beijing, but is the only Chinese club to compete in the Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL). Everything is fine so far?
Kunlun Red Star was founded in 2016. A year after the award of the Games to Beijing. Joining the Russian league came in June 2016 and became a top priority. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, personally attended the signing of the agreement between the KHL and the Red Stars.
Due to a lack of quality and the fear of embarrassment in the “home games”, the host has polished his team with a mass naturalization. Actually, China would have been world number 32. sporty had lost nothing at the Olympics.
As recently as September, IIHF President Luc Tardif said, “Watching a team beat 15-0 isn’t good for anyone. Not for China and not for hockey.” But the Olympic host found a solution. And it was called Kunlun Red Star. In October, the team tested against two KHL clubs to prove its suitability for the Olympics. The naturalizations were checked and the IIHF gave the green light after all.
DHB captain Müller: “What should I be upset about?”
Nevertheless, many victories are not to be expected. But not with high clap either. Also because the stars of the NHL are missing at the Olympics. The Chinese team, which is coached by the Italian-Canadian Ivano Zanatta, is also Germany’s group opponent. On Saturday (9.40 a.m. CET) there will be a clash. DHB captain Moritz Müller said in an interview with “Sport Bild” about the Chinese practices: “What should I be upset about? It is what it is. It is clear that China will be a really difficult opponent.”
Oh yes: A Chinese women’s ice hockey team, which has so far been as unsuccessful as the men’s, is also at the start. For this, Mi Le scored the first Olympic goal in twelve years last Thursday. The blonde 25-year-old’s real name is Hannah Miller and she was born in Canada. Now she plays for China. As one of 13 North Americans on the team.