China's women's volleyball team has begun a pre-Olympic training camp ©Getty Images

China's national teams have entered a series of winter training camps with a view to preparing for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification events or the Games itself.

Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that several teams have begun long-term training camps behind closed doors.

The country’s badminton team has been based at Lingshui since November.

"This long-term closed-door training has made my skills and tactics more mature and stronger from the inside," rising badminton star Wang Zhiyi, a Youth Olympic Games silver medallist, was quoted as saying.

"I will take every game seriously and strive for the best results for my country."

The Chinese badminton team is absent from Badminton World Federation World Tour events set to begin in Thailand shortly.

Xinhua added that China’s national women’s volleyball team has now begun its training camp in the capital city Beijing.

The women's squad may play matches against the men's team as part of preparations.

China were crowned Olympic champions at Rio 2016 by beating Serbia in the final, before retaining the World Cup title in 2019 after a perfect tournament of 11 straight wins in Japan.

China will look to defend their Olympic title at Tokyo 2020, with the holders set to face the United States, Russia, Italy, Argentina and Turkey in Pool B of the tournament.

Head coach Lang Ping continues to lead preparations, after signing a contract extension following the postponement of Tokyo 2020 last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

China was among the countries to compete at a gymnastics competition in Tokyo during November ©Getty Images
China was among the countries to compete at a gymnastics competition in Tokyo during November ©Getty Images

China’s rowing and canoeing teams are currently training on Qiandao Lake, while the gymnastics squad is preparing behind closed doors in Beijing.

Gymnasts from China were among a select few to compete at a Friendship and Solidarity competition at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo last year.

Japan, Russia, China and the US attended the event in November, with strict COVID-19 protocols in place.

The event was seen as a key milestone in preparations for the rearranged Games.

A series of qualification events are scheduled to take place over the coming months for Tokyo 2020, with the Olympic Games due to run from July 23 to August 8.

China was among the countries most impacted by the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, with the outbreak originating in the city of Wuhan.

Several areas of China were later locked down by the country’s Government, which impacted the ability of athletes to train for the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese Government postponed Tokyo 2020 in March last year, with the pandemic having spread worldwide, leading to harsh restrictions being introduced by most Governments.