MOSCOW (AP) -- The Kontinental Hockey League wants to expand into China, hoping to use a successful Chinese Winter Olympic bid to conquer the vast market.
Beijing is the front-runner to host the 2022 Olympics and if successful, ''will essentially be forced to develop hockey from nothing,'' KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko told the Tass agency. The International Olympic Committee will decide the host July 31.
The ''catalyst'' of the Olympics would allow the Russia-based KHL to step in, says Chernyshenko, who wants to hold a regular-season game in China next season and add a Chinese team in the longer team.