Now boasting access to the game's top echelon, a Beijing-based professional ice hockey club has embraced the challenge of promoting the niche sport while cultivating local talent for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Beijing-based Kunlun Red Star, a newcomer to the Kontinental Hockey League, beat Admiral Vladivostok from Russia 6-3 as the host of a KHL game for the first time on Monday.

The entry of the Beijing club was part of a China-Russia sports exchange. The signing ceremony was attended by President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on June 25 in Beijing.