HARBIN, China (CIS) - Led by a women's hockey team making its Universiade debut, Canada is eager to open competition at the 24th Winter Universiade in Harbin, China.Canada will participate in eight of the 12 sports offered at the 2009 Winter Universiade - Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing, Men's and Women's Curling, Men's and Women's Ice Hockey, and Long Track and Short Track Speed Skating. With a total roster size of 130 - including 94 athletes, Canada has sent one of the largest delegations to the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin.Laurier Athletic Director Peter Baxter heads the delegation as Team Canada's Chef de Mission, and sees good things ahead for Canada's athletes at the games. "We've assembled a very strong team straight across the board," said Baxter. "We expect to be a competitive threat in all of the events we'll be participating in." Two years ago in at the Winter Universiade in Turin, Italy, Canada made four trips to the podium including gold medal performances in men's hockey and women's curling. Stopping short of predicting specific medal finishes this time around, Baxter sees the possibility for this year's Universiade team to surpass the totals posted in Italy in 2007."We've got incredible depth in many of the individual sports here in Harbin," said Baxter. "In some of the speed skating events, we could see a number of podium finishes. Our team sports are very strong. We come into the men's hockey event as the defending champion, our women will likely be a serious threat to win gold, and both our men's and women's curling teams will be among the top teams in the field at the end of the week."Canada has a long history with the Winter Universiade, first participating at the 1968 games in Innsbruck, Austria. Over the last 41 years, Canada has been one of the most consistently visible countries at the games - sending teams each of the last 20 Winter Universiade competitions.Since winning their first medal with a gold in men's hockey back in 1968, Canada's has won 51 Winter Universiade medals - highlighted by a record 18 at the 1985 Universiade in Belluno, Italy. That year, the short track speed skating team dominated the competition, winning 17 medals including five gold.The events of the 2009 Winter Universiade are split into three separate venues. All the events contested on ice will be held in Harbin, with women's hockey played at the site of the 2008 IIHF World Women's Championships - the Baqu Arena. Men's hockey will be played at the Harbin Institute of Physical Activity, long track speedskating will be held at Heilongjiang Speed Skating Gym and the Harbin Institute of Science and Technology will be the venue location for short track speedskating. Both curling competitions will be contested at the Heilongjiang Skating Gym.Canada's skiers will be stationed at one of two ski resorts southeast of Harbin. The biathletes will compete at the Maoershan Ski Resort, located 85 km from the host city while the cross country skiers are another 100km further along at the Yabuli Ski resort.With 32 participating countries traveling to the games, Harbin will play host to nearly 2,000 student-athletes, coaches, administrators and officials with the host Chinese sending the largest delegation with over 250 competitors.
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