And most of the best skiers in the world will be on the starting line in Changchun on February the 15th and 16th – one week before the championships in Sapporo starts.

Germanys coach Jochen Behle has nominated his strongest team with World Cup-leader and Tour de Ski-winner Tobias Angerer as the top name. Also former World Cup-winners Rene Sommerfeldt and Axel Teichmann will form part of the German squad, together with strong names as Jens Filbrich and Franz Göring.

And among the ladies star racer Evi Sachenbacher Stehle will head a strong German team.

Also France will come with their best team. World Champion Vincent Vittoz will be aiming for the 15 kilometer in free tecnique, while Olympic silvermedalist Roddy Darragons is the biggest French hope for the sprint.

Austria has a good mix of experienced racers and young talents. Olympic Champion Christian Hoffmann and veteran Mikhail Botvinov are strong contenders for the Austrian team.

The Russians will be headed by Olympic pursuit champion Evgenji Dementiev and World sprint champion Vassili Rotchev by the men and Olympic sprint medalist Alena Sidko as well as Düsseldorf-runner-up Natalia Matveeva in the ladies races.

The Scandinavians are always strong and Norway will send the main group that will form their team in Sapporo. The whole sprint-team as well as some good distance-racers are comming. The only one missing should be Marit Bjørgen, who will do the WCH-preparations by her self.

Swedens coach Inge Braaten is sending his top team including Olympic sprint champions Thobias Fredriksson, Björn Lind, Lina Andersson and Anna Dahlberg, as well as their best distance-racers Mathias Fredriksson and Anders Södergren.

Finland has not 100 % confirmed their participation in Changchun, but according to headcoach Magnar Dalen it looks like World Cup-leader Virpi Kuitunen is comming to China to defend her lead – at least in the classical sprint, one of her best distances.

Other intersting teams are Estonia, where the whole sprintteam is comming and where Olympic champion Kristina Smigun is still to decide if she will start or not. USA will send their team for the WCH, with sprinter Andrew Newell as their top name. He took his first World Cup-podium in Changchun last year.

The organisers are still waiting for some nations, but the Czech Republik with Olympic champion Katerina Neumannova are expected to start, probably also Slovenias big star Petra Majdic – already twice a winner on the World Cup this season.

Other nations having made their entries for the World Cup in Changchun are Hungary, Croatia, China, Spain, Andorra, Greece and Japan.

The races will take part in Yingyuetan national park, just south of the 7-million-city of Changchun.This is the same area where the chinese Vasaloppet took place on January the 2nd.

The reason why the races are organised on Thursday and Friday is because the Chinese New Year is comming up in this weekend and that makes it impossible to get enough vounteers to have races on the weekend.