Hirano was the runner-up in the men's snowboard halfpipe competition at Sochi 2014, where he was just 15 years old.

He achieved the same result at Pyeongchang 2018, with American Shaun White clinching gold with his final run of the competition.

Hirano heads to Beijing 2022 having topped the halfpipe World Cup standings after three events, with compatriot Ruka Hirano second.

The Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic gold medallist has also been named on Japan’s team for the Games.

Ruki and Sena Tomita have both achieved women's halfpipe World Cup podium finishes this season, which have contributed to the pair being selected for the Games.

Yūto Totsuka, Hirano Kaishu, Mitsuki Ono and Kurumi Imai will also represent Japan in snowboard halfpipe competition.

Kokomo Murase and Reira Iwabuchi, who won the two women's snowboard big air World Cup events this season, will compete in the discipline in Beijing.

The pair will be joined in the Chinese capital by Ruki Tobita, Kaito Hamada, Takeru Otsuka, Hiroaki Kunitake, Miyabi Onitsuka and Rina Yoshiya.

Japan will have high hopes in ski jumping, with men’s World Cup leader Ryōyū Kobayashi expected to lead their challenge.

Yukiya Sato, Naoki Nakamura, Junshiro Kobayashi and Daiki Ito will also compete in the men’s event, while Pyeongchang 2018 bronze medallist Sara Takanashi is joined in the women’s squad by Yuki Ito, Kaori Iwabuchi and Yuka Seto.

Yoshiki Takahara and Yuka Nakamura will compete in snowboard cross, while Miki Tsubaki and Tomoka Takeuchi will participate in Alpine competition.

Akito Watabe, a Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 silver medallist, leads Japan’s Nordic combined team and is also due to carry the nation's flag at the Opening Ceremony.

Ryota Yamamoto, Yoshito Watabe, Hideaki Nagai and Sora Yachi complete Japan’s Nordic combined selections, with Naoto Baba, Hiroyuki Miyazawa, Haruki Yamashita, Masako Ishida, Masae Tsuchiya, Miki Kodama and Chika Kobayashi all poised to compete in cross-country skiing.

Yohei Koyama and Asa Ando will compete in Alpine skiing competition.

Pyeongchang 2018 bronze medallist Daichi Hara leads Japan’s moguls team, with Ikuma Horishima, Kosuke Sugimoto, Satsumi Matsuda, Anri Kawamura, Hinako Tomitaka, Kisara Sumiyoshi and Junko Hoshino also due to compete.

Ski cross athletes Ryo Sugai and Kei Furuno, halfpipe competitor Saori Suzuki, plus big air and slopestyle athlete Kondo Shinon complete Japan's selections for ski and snowboard events.

Japan will have high hopes of medal success at Beijing 2022.

The nation finished 11^th on the medals table at Pyeongchang 2018, earning four gold, five silver and four bronze medals in South Korea.