China will form a national women's rugby team for the Asian championship slated for Hong Kong, China in March this year, head of the national team told Xinhua in Kunming on Sunday.

A winter altitude camp opened in an altitude training base hereon Sunday, with eight men's teams and four women's squads from across the country, said Tang Fengxiang.

Gathering here are teams from the Beijing Agricultural University, the Beijing Teachers' College, the Shenyang Sports Institute and Liaoning Teachers' University, Tang said.

As the trainees are all university students, the three weeks camp is held during the winter vocation of Chinese universities and colleges, to select players for the national team, Tang added.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2005)