MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. About 600 athletes are on the extended roster of the Russian national Olympic team for the 2022 Winter Games in China’s Beijing, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told TASS on Wednesday.

"We are in the final stage of preparations for the Olympic Games," Chernyshenko, who oversees sports, culture and tourism in the Russian government, said. "The final roster of the team, which will be representing Russia at the Olympic Games in Beijing, will be announced in January."

"About 600 athletes are currently on the extended roster," he continued. "I am sure that they are the best athletes, who will set new world records and bring the country dozens of gold medals."

At the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang, the Russian national Olympic team competed under the status of the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) because the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) membership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was suspended at that time.

Russian athletes finished in 13th place of the overall medals standings at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang having won two gold, six silver and nine bronze medals.

2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing are scheduled to be held between February 4 and 20.

During the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015, Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games making the Chinese capital the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2008) as well as the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2022).

Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Olympics and Paralympics in a tight race, beating Kazakhstan’s Almaty in 2015, by chalking up 44 votes against its rival’s 40.