Italy were second and Hungary finished third.

Ren Ziwei, Wu Dajing, Fan Kexin and Qu Chunyu clocked 2:37.348s over 2,000m in the final to kick off the host country’s Games in style at the Capital Indoor Stadium.

Wu won China’s only gold medal at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.

They won five titles at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and three in Sochi in 2014.

China finished their semifinal in third place behind Hungary and the US, which would have barred them from entering the final, but the race came under review for possible infringements.

All eyes were on the referee as he reviewed the action.

After five minutes, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) ended up being disqualified for obstruction along with the US who were penalised for blocking.

The final was also a nail biter, with the race coming under review again after the hosts had beaten Italy by 0.016s.

The only announcement that came after the review, however, was a penalty for fourth-placed Canada, and the few hundred spectators raised the volume at an otherwise quiet stadium.