BEIJING, April 2 -- Even though the Chinese football team failed to reach the final stage of the 2006 World Cup, Chinese children, however, still have the hope of making an appearance at the football extravaganza this summer. The World Cup Player Escort Program has kicked off for the first time in China.

    100 children waited anxiously at a primary school playground in an eastern suburb of Beijing Sunday morning. Between the ages of six and ten, they are the representatives of their school's football teams. They are expected to dribble the ball and make shots in order to win a chance of representing Beijing and China at the upcoming World Cup this summer in Germany.

    The program, called the World Cup Player Escort Program, is initialed and sponsored by the world's largest fast-food chain, McDonald's. Vice President of McDonald''s China, Gary Rosen, says that although China failed to make it to the final stage of the World Cup this year, they still wanted to have China represented at the biggest football event.

    "Regardless whether the team made it or not this year, it's important for us to send the future players of China for the World Cup."

    Four Chinese children, one each from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing, will be picked after four rounds of fierce competition. The first round took place in March when a total of one thousand children in the four cities took part in a World Cup knowledge contest to produce four hundred participants for the second round, where they could fully display their football skills.

    Ma Jingkai, a nine-year-old pupil from Beijing's Jingdong primary school, loves to play football. He says the World Cup is like a dream for him, "I want to be there to cheer for the players."

    Well, the final winners, one each from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing, will not only cheer for the players, they will actually have the great honor of walking into the World Cup stadium, hand in hand, with the world's best players, according to Gary Rosen.

    "It's gonna be such a memorable experience for the children. The memories will last a life time. It's just a great experience for them. We're just happy to be able to provide them." Rosen said.