The Chinese beach volleyball teams, despite an high expectation of local fans for a breakthrough on home sand, will play at the Beijing Olympics with ease, China head coach Miao Zhihong said?in Beijing?Friday.
"We don't set any target for the Olympics," Miao told Xinhua during the break of a training session for the Chinese players at the Chaoyang Park beach volleyball ground.
"The important thing is how our players can give pull play to their abilities and techniques," he said.
 |
|
China's Zhang Xi practices in a training session at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground in Beijing, China, August 1, 2008. The Chinese women's beach volleyball team held a training in Beijing Friday, preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. (Xinhua Photo)?? |
China is sending three beach volleyball pairs, Xu Linyin/Wu Penggen for the men's and Tian Jia/Wang Jie and Xue Chen/Zhang Xi for the women's competitions at the Beijing Olympics.
Tian/Wang and Xu/Wu were made top seeds in the preliminary round as they finished second and fifth respectively on the Olympic qualification ranking, according to regulations of the International Volleyball Federation.
All the pairs have achieved good results in world arena in the past two years, finishing top three several times. Their remarkable results have lifted the fans' expectation for a breakthrough at home. China's best Olympic result was the ninth finish in Athens.
The Chinese players have made remarkable progress through competitions at the international events, said Miao. "Their abilities in various fields have been improved as a whole, the teamwork in particular," he said.
 |
|
China's Xue Chen practices in a training session at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground in Beijing, China, August 1, 2008. The Chinese women's beach volleyball team held a training in Beijing?Friday, preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. (Xinhua Photo) |
"They know how to encourage each other in case of disadvantages in the match," he said.
A clear disadvantage for the Chinese players, Miao said, is the lack of experiences at such significant events as the Olympics and the unstable performance.
Among all the six Chinese players, only Tian Jia played at the Olympics. She finished ninth at the Athens Games, paired with Zhang Jingkun.
But the Chinese, most of them at their early 20s and with outstanding heights, may have another advantage.
"We are going to keep offensive against our rivals," said player Zhang Xi.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2008)
