DOHA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Japan adopts a sporting strategy of supporting
those experienced and competitive athletes no matter how old they are, Japanese
Doha Asiad delegation spokesman Hiroshi Takeuchi said here Friday.
During an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Takeuchi, who is the spokesman
of the Japanese Olympic Committee, said, "In Japan, if a35-year-old athlete
still has the ability or potential to claim gold medals, we will continue our
support to him or her."
"Both Japan and China are sporting giants in Asia. As far as I know,
China's sport-developing strategy is quite different for ours. China attaches
more importance to young talents," he said.
"All of us are eyeing the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. And we will wait and
see the performances of the Chinese young talents and Japanese experienced
athletes," he added.
In the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, China ranked second on the gold tally
with 32, while Japan finished fifth with 16.
