Russia President Vladimir Putin was present as the agreement was signed in Beijing ©Kontinental Hockey League

Beijing based ice hockey team Kunlun Red Star will compete in the Kontinental Hockey League for the forthcoming season after an agreement was signed in the Chinese capital city.

Currently Belarus, Croatia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Russia and Slovakia are represented by teams in the international league.

The agreement was signed as part of an official visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin to China, with the chairman of the Kontinental Hockey League, Gennady Timchenko, and Kunlun Red Star chairman Ngok Jen Jü.

The addition of the team to the league, widely considered as one of the strongest outside of the National Hockey League (NHL) which features American and Canadian teams, will be considered a boost to China ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Both the Russian and Chinese Ministries of Sport approved the move, in addition to the heads of the country’s ice hockey federations.

Veteran coach Vladimir Yurzinov is set to coach the team, with his first task due to be assembling a squad of players ahead of the forthcoming season.

Eight countries are set to be represented in the league for the upcoming season ©Getty Images
Eight countries are set to be represented in the league for the upcoming season ©Getty Images

It is expected that the club will include numerous Chinese players, as well as highly experience professionals from major ice hockey nations such as Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic to help them to progress.

Currently the 2016 to 2017 season is scheduled to begin on August 22.

The club are expected to receive support from both the Chinese and Russian federations to help stage matches and develop the Kunlun Red Star hockey school in Beijing.