Haolin Feng will have the honor and distinction of taking the first snap from under center by a Chinese player in the competitive world stage.

The quarterback will lead China at The World Games from August 14-17 and will make history on home soil when the hosts take on Austria, Europe’s top ranked nation who stand fourth overall in the IFAF women’s flag football world rankings.

Feng was introduced to flag football by a friend in 2021 and instantly became hooked on the teamwork ethic of the sport when she joined a team in Beijing. She also participated in trail running and Spartan races, a discipline of varying difficulty across obstacle courses ranging from 3 miles to ultra-marathon distances of more than 50km.

“It is truly an honor to represent my country,” she says. “I’ll give my all to represent China with pride. As a quarterback, my strength is making quick in-game adjustments to defensive reads. I focus on building chemistry with teammates through communication in practice.”

Feng earned the sport’s pivotal position for China having attended tryouts which were conducted across multiple regions in China and attacted more than 500 potential national team players.

“As an athlete without a professional team background, the tryouts were a completely new experience that taught me a lot and gave me a fresh perspective,” she explains. “Waiting for the results was nervous but exciting, and finally I made it and felt rewarding. Training with new teammates was challenging but fulfilling. Every day was intense yet meaningful.”

After opening against Austria, China faces a resurgent Canada team and then the ultimate test in a group stages match up with the number one ranked world champions the United States.

“The USA is a strong traditional team with complete skills,” Feng observes. “Austria has a fast, aggressive offense. Canada combines power and agility. We'll prepare specifically for each opponent.”

Feng and China warned up for their arrival on the world stage with a pre-tournament scrimmage against Great Britain on Saturday.