GUIYANG, Southwest China, Dec. 4, 2003 (Xinhuanet) -- China has called up 220 young shooters to a training camp for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, a shooting official said here on Thursday.

    The group of backup sharpshooters, all under 23, will be trained in the camp, starting on Sunday, until January 10 next year, said Sun Shengwei, the Chinese shooting team leader.

    "Only the top eight finishers in this year's national competitions as well as the first six players at the City Games are eligible for the camp,"said Sun.

    "We will select the outstanding ones from the training camp to form the B national team to prepare for the 2008 Olympics," Sun said.

    "All the shooters are going to attend a trial at the end of thecamp, and the top four finishers in each event will enter the national team," Sun said, adding that the winners of each event directly qualify for the first-string national squad while the other three selected into the B team.