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| July 26, 2008 | Saturday | Rajab 22, 1429 |
Host China unveils 639-member Olympic contingent
BEIJING, July 25: China unveiled its largest team of 639 athletes on Friday for the Beijing Olympics, a squad many expect will dislodge the United States from the top of the medal table.
China is likely to field the biggest team when the games open in two weeks. This Chinese contingent is much larger than Athens, when 407 athletes were named. China fielded 311 athletes in Sydney eight years ago.
Stars such as basketball player Yao Ming and defending Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang will be under pressure to deliver at home.
China won 32 gold medals in 2004, four fewer than the United States. The United States topped China by 39 medals in the overall count. Russia also won 10 more medals overall than China, but had only 27 gold.
In a quest for more medals, China’s state-run sports schools have been targeting relatively low-profile sports such as shooting, women’s weightlifting, rowing, boxing and cycling. The Chinese are also expected to deliver in three sports they always dominate: diving, badminton and table tennis.—AP
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