China is aiming to win unprecedented six to eight gold medals at the 2009 Harbin Winter Universiade, said a senior sports official on Tuesday.

"We will strive for six to eight gold medals and try to make top three on the medal tally," Yang Liguo, secretary general of Federation of University Sport of China (FUSC), told reporters.

The first-time Winter Universiade host will send a total of 198athletes to compete in 12 sports and 76 events at the 24th edition of the biannual Winter University Games.

"It will be the largest delegation we send to the Winter Universiade, hopefully our athletes will have excellent performance on home soil," Yang added.

The Chinese skaters and skiers will be strong medal contenders in figure skating, short track speed skating, curling, women's ice hockey, speed skating, free style skiing and snowboarding.

"We are going to send our top athletes in these sports to compete in Harbin," said Zhao Yinggang, head of the Winter Sports Administration Center of China. "The roster will be finalized on January 18 next year and I believe most of the top athletes including two-time defending champions and Olympic silver medallists Zhang Dan/Zhang Hao will be able to represent China at the Harbin Universiade.

Featuring a total of 12 sports, namely Alpine skiing, cross-country, freestyle skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, Nordic combined, biathlon, speed skating, short track speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and curling, the Harbin Universiade will be held on February 18 to 28 in the Chinese northeastern city famous for annual Ice and Snow Festival.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2008)