World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has praised China's exceptional capabilities in hosting major sporting events, citing the country's increasing athletic prowess, during his visit to attend the 9th Asian Winter Games underway in Harbin.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Coe reaffirmed that China is "world-class" at staging global events, as he elaborated on the country's impressive track record in hosting successful international competitions.

"China is world-class at staging world class events. We have three world championships in the next 2 years in China. We have the world indoor championships in Nanjing in just a few weeks’ time," he said.

"We then have the world relays in Guangzhou. And then the jewel in the crown in 2027 in Beijing is our world championships and it was in 2016 at the world championships in Beijing that I got elected as President of World Athletics. So, I consider China to be my lucky country."

Regarding his impression of Chinese athletes, Coe noted that he has seen significant progress as a result of close collaboration between World Athletics and major sports institutions in the nation.

Coe also highlighted that China represents a vast and expanding market for running and athletics, which is playing a crucial role in promoting the participation of young people in sports globally.

"The importance of China to world athletics is huge. You have more people that are regularly running than any other country in the world, in 5K's and 10K's and half marathons and marathons. And that is a very large and growing market for world athletics," said the sports body president.

It's also critical because the Chinese government understands that running and athletics is probably one of the best sports for helping develop the health and vibrancy, both mentally and physically, of young people." (CCTV)