Cui Dalin, vice minister of the State General Administration of Sport

(BEIJING, November 9) -- Vice Minister Cui Dalin of the State General Administration of Sport told reporters at a press conference Friday that the Chinese athletes still face five major challenges on the path to getting prepared for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Preparations for the Olympic competitions have reached a critical phase, and the administration now manages 55 national teams of nearly 1,300 athletes around the country, Cui said.

To date, 514 Chinese athletes have qualified for 211 events in 26 Olympic sports. Cui said China will vie in the remaining Olympic qualification events to increase the number of qualified athletes to 550-570-- the largest number in the most events ever in the country's Olympic history.

Despite the increase in the number of participating athletes, Cui said the administration is not confident about the Olympic prospect in general, as there are still many new problems and difficulties.

First: US and Russia remain strong overall

The United States has demonstrated its unrivaled strength by winning more and more medals in international events over the last three years, with 31 medals in athletics and swimming this year alone.

Russia retains its dominance over China in wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, boxing and some events of athletics. Over the last three years, the Russians have been crowned in 64 events, accounting for a wider range of medal winning events and a greater potential for additional golds at the Games than China.

Germany and Austria are also quite powerful. In addition some Asian countries such as Japan also have an edge over others in some events.

Although China has fared well at some yearly sports world championships, there is a difference between the championship events and the Olympic competitions. What has been achieved at the worlds may not tell of China's strength at the Olympic Games, Cui said.

As the host, China started early, at the beginning of the Beijing Olympic cycle. Due to differences in sports training and management systems, however, many athletes of other countries are not yet in their best shape. And some countries have been reserved at the annual world series, thus denying the results are a true reflection of their potential strength at the Olympic Games.

Second: China's dominating events challenged

Other than in table tennis, badminton, diving, weightlifting and shooting, China has not maintained a clear-cut edge in the Olympic events. Meanwhile, foreign athletes have made great strides and have threatened China's dominance in these events.

During the four-year cycle of the Beijing Olympic games, some international sports federations (IFs) have also modified the competition rules, which as a result also increased the competition uncertainties and narrowed China's edge.

In addition, great expectations from the Chinese people also serve to impose a huge amount of pressure on the athletes.

All these factors will cause some trouble for China to go for the golds in its traditionally strong events.

Third: Unsteady results in some potential events

In recent years, the Chinese athletes have grabbed gold medals at the world championships for boxing, rowing, sailing, fencing, modern pentathlon, and men's wresting, while achieving satisfactory results in beach volleyball, mountain bike, and tennis.

Despite the triumphs, Cui played down the possibility of winning gold in these events, saying that the achievements have not remained steady with athletes fighting alone in many of the events.

Fourth: A big gap with leading teams in athletics, swimming

The sport powerhouses have attached great importance to athletics and swimming since they produce the most medals at the Olympic Games. China is not competitive enough in the 81 events of the two sports, except the 110-meter hurdle. China has not improved much in these two sports, lagging far behind the United States.

Fifth: Ball game competitions tougher for China

Cui said the administration has made a lot of efforts to improve China's competitiveness in ball games, including hiring excellent coaches from abroad, upgrading equipment, and adopting advanced training concepts. But the results cannot be satisfactory: China is still no match for world powerhouses in most ball games (except women's volleyball), and the results in international events have been declining.

It will be tough for China to achieve good results at the Games in terms of ball games, Cui said.

"The competitions among the national and regional teams at the Beijing Olympic Games will become very tough and the Chinese sports delegations will encounter many difficulties during the competitions," Cui concluded, saying that Team China, including every athlete and coach, will treasure the chance to fight for the glory of the host country at the Beijing Olympic Games.