CHANGSHA, Oct. 26, 2003 (Xinhuanet) -- While Chinese gymnasts kept on snatching gold medals in major international competitions by their increasingly improved difficulties, basic skills training, instead of difficulty development, remains as the core of their project to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

　To follow up the point that the Chinese gymnastic tycoons always stress, the 5th Chinese City Games held in Changsha launched "special rules" in gymnastics competitions, in which basic errors, like legs apart in tumbling maneuvers, would lead toextra mark deduction.

　The special rules aim to reverse the wrongdoing of some junior coaches who ignore basic skill and stressed difficulty excessively,according to Gao Jian, president of the Chinese Gymnastics Association.

　"Basic skills, instead of difficulty is of the most significance in training young talents," the new Chinese gymnastics boss said. "Difficulty is based on adequate and regular skills training, which could not be skipped or done over anight."

　Gao took over the helm of Chinese gymnastics from retired Zhang Jian just months ago. He made a successful debut in August, heading the Chinese delegation to the Anaheim World Championships,where Chinese gymnasts grabbed a record five gold medals in the team history. He was invited to attend the City Games as the director of gymnastics competition commission this time.

　With National Junior Games its predecessor, the city games is considered a cradle for future stars of each sport for Beijing 2008. The competition program, except for Chinese martial arts, is set in conformity with the Olympic Games.

　The gymnastics competitions, therefore, are refined only to girls in their early teens, and teenager boys.

　"Only girls aged 11-13 and boy aged 14-16 are able to compete,"Gao said, "five years later, they will be our hope in 2008."

　Chinese national team head coach Huang Yubin has also been invited to lead the gymnastic arbitration commission. After watching the matches throughout, he said what impressed him most was the improved quality of young competitors' routines.

　"I'm very satisfied with that, which shows they have refocused on basic skills training," Huang said. "Basic skills is our secretweapon in each major event and for a successful Beijing Games."

　"Yes, we have done a great job in difficulty recently but that is only based on solid basic skills," he said.

　The 45-year-old is probably the most successful coach in the Chinese gymnastic history. Since joining the national coaching board in 1985, he has trained over 10 world champions, including Olympic champion Li Xiaopeng, who just took double gold medals on vault and parallel bars in Anaheim.

　"Li Xiaopeng is superb in difficulty and has two composition named after him, but what lies under is his unquestionable basic skills."

　After 18-year coaching experience and having contributed a lot to the difficulty development for Chinese gymnastics, Huang still considered the basic skills training the most tough job.

　"I can teach gymnasts all the difficult maneuvers and I teach very well, but basic skills training remains my headache for all these years,"

　"It's a systematic work. You have to lay the foundation first, and then come to the building and finally the skyscraper can be done," Huang said.

　The "special rules" has been observed in minor junior competitions although it made the its official debut in the city games. The Chinese Gymnastic Association has also decided to fullyimplement it in senior events.

　"Special rules apply only to junior events at present," Gao said. "But we'll introduce it to the senior level next year in theNational Championships. That shows our determination to lay a solid foundation for young talents and lead them to the right track."

　"Basic skill makes a real excellent gymnast," Gao concluded.