BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- 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 here 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.
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China's Zhang Xi practices in a training
session at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground in Beijing, China,
Aug. 1, 2008. The Chinese women's beach volleyball team held a training
here Friday, preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. (Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
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.
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China's Xue Chen practices in a training
session at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground in Beijing, China,
Aug. 1, 2008. The Chinese women's beach volleyball team held a training
here Friday, preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. (Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
"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.
Special report: 2008 Olympic Games
