(Beijing, January 10) At a media briefing held at the headquarters of the General Administration of Sport of China (GASC) in Beijing on January 10, GASC deputy director Cui Dalin briefed the media on Chinese athletes' preparations for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games.

According to Cui, about 1,200 atheletes of 55 national teams for different sports have been engaged in winter training in 17 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Up till now, a total of 516 Chinese athletes have qualified for 212 events of 26 sports to be contested in the Beijing Games.

Competing on home soil, Cui noted, athletes of the host country have to bear tremendous pressure brought by the home crowds, and so they will have to get themselves adequately prepared both technically and mentally and do their utmost to win honors for their team while displaying their fine sportsmanship to the world.