HOHHOT, China, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The curling (junior group) event of China's 14th National Winter Games kicked off in the Inner Mongolia Ice Sports Training Center in Hulun Buir City on Tuesday.
Twelve teams will fight for three gold medals in the men's, women's and mixed doubles categories across nine days.
Eight teams played two rounds on the first day in the mixed doubles competition, which adopted a single round-robin format.
Host Inner Mongolia lost two in a row to Shanxi and Heilongjiang.
In the first round, although Qu Ruoxuan and Li Yang of Inner Mongolia shrugged off an inferior start to drag the match into the play-off, Zhang Chuchu and Qi Jiaming of Shanxi managed to emerge victorious 7-6.
"Our players didn't do well on some key points, and they failed to grasp the opportunities early on," lamented Inner Mongolia coach Guo Wenli.
Sichuan and Heilongjiang won two consecutive matches to lead the rankings. Chongqing, Hubei, Shanxi and Guizhou are tied for third with a record of one win and one loss.
Inner Mongolia and Hebei are tied for the seventh place with two losses.
The 14th National Winter Games, which will officially open on Feb. 17, will be the largest ever of its kind with the participation of more than 3,700 athletes. ■
