Special report: 2008 Olympic Games     

    BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese gymnastic veteran Yang Wei may have to face great pressure in his preparation for the Beijing Olympics, Takahiro Moriizumi, head coach of defending Japanese men's team, said here on Monday.

    "Yang Wei has won the men all-around world titles consecutively in the 2006 and 2007 World Championships. He was attached great importance by all sides and thought to be the most hopeful to capture the gold in the coming Beijing Olympics. Therefore, he may be under huge pressure," said Moriizumi.

    The remarks came when the Japanese men team finished their training on Monday afternoon in the National Indoor Stadium. The Japanese gymnasts, which touched down in Beijing last Thursday, practiced twice on Friday in the stadium.

    "Yang enjoys home advantage but it is difficult to make prediction about the competition," said Moriizumi.

    Yang used to take the second place in the international all-around competitions. Striking examples are his performance in the 2003 World Championships and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After adjustment in technical and other fields, Yang has proved his competence since 2006.

    As for Yang's Japanese rival Hiroyuki Tomita, Moriizumi said his preparation for the all-around competition runs very well. The Japanese team did not watch the training of the Chinese team, but learned that they are in good shape.

    Also on Monday when asked about the Japanese team, Chinese head coach Huang Yubin said,"I didn't watch their training and I don't have to, because our strengths have been built up throughout the years."

    The two teams are in different training groups. They usually will not meet each other in the preparation period.