China's best short track speed skaters including Olympic champion Yang Yang (A) face the possibility of being left out of the Turin Winter Games next year if they could not perform well in the first ever national Olympic trials.

Countries like Canada and the United States have long adopted national trials in selecting skaters for the Winter Olympics while China kicks off the first of the kind in September, Chinese team leader Tong Lixin told Xinhua on Sunday.

All eligible skaters, about 120 in total, are entitled to compete in a preliminary before 18 of them, nine for each sex, enter two qualifying rounds. The top five finishers in men' and women's all-round events respectively will represent China in Turin, according to Tong.

In the past, national team coaches made chose skaters through their own judgment.

"The qualifying round results will decide their fate, not what coaches say," Tong said on Sunday, the last day of the short track speed skating world championships in the Chinese capital.

"We believe this change will prompt the top skaters in the national team to work harder and give chances to those from the provincial teams," he said.

"Several top skaters are in a class of their own in China but there is uncertainty in the trial. It is possible that Yang Yang (A) fails to qualify," said Xin. "Every one is put under pressure and pushed to do their best."

Yang pulled off China's first ever Winter Olympic gold medals in 2002 when she won the 500m and 1,000m in the Salt Lake City Games.

"We need an inspired team for Turin and we hope the new trial system will give some help," Tong added.