ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Press conference by Chinese on expectations for the Winter Olympics

Record ID: 331954

  • Title: ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Press conference by Chinese on expectations for the Winter Olympics
  • Date: 12th February 2006
  • Summary: TURIN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 9, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE HELD BY CHINESE OLYMPIC FEDERATION AND ATHLETES CHINESE SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATER YANG YANG SEATED AT TABLE PAN ACROSS ATHLETES SEATED AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Chinese) XIAO TIAN, DEPUTY HEAD OF CHINESE OLYMPIC DELEGATION SAYING: "Our goal for the Turin Olympic Winter Games is to try our utmost to bring to full play the potential of our athletes and to achieve the best possible sporting performance. As for how many gold medals we can get, I think it can only be told after the end of the competitions and the goal of our competition and participation in the Turin Games is to try our best and try to give full play to the fighting spirit and the excellent techniques of our athletes. In several disciplines like short-track speed skating, figure skating, speed skating and freestyle skiing, we have several disciplines in which it is possible to get gold medals." WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Chinese) XIAO TIAN, DEPUTY HEAD OF CHINESE OLYMPIC DELEGATION SAYING: "Over the past 20 or more years, ever since the 1980s, Ms. Yang Yang has won two gold medals in Olympic Winter Games and almost 60 gold medals in World Championships and World Cups, so this performance at a sporting level is very high among all the athletes all over the world. Though I have no precise statistics, I think she must be among the very top athletes all over the world." YANG YANG SEATED AT TABLE REPORTERS TAKING NOTES CHINESE SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATER WANG MENG SEATED AT TABLE WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 27th February 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA67GXRSJ9SCZVP69X6GU5QMUY7
  • Story Text: Four years after claiming their first Winter Games gold medals, China is back in record numbers looking for more at the Turin Olympics.
    Short track speed skater Yang Yang, who swept to historic gold in both the women's 500 and 1,000 metres, has returned to spearhead Chinese medal efforts and will carry her country's flag in Friday's opening ceremonies.
    Xiao Tian, deputy head of the Chinese delegation, would not be drawn into making a prediction on the number of medals the country would win but did pinpoint the events from which they might come.
    "Our goal for the Turin Olympic Winter Games is to try our utmost to bring to full play the potential of our athletes and to achieve the best possible sporting performance. As for how many gold medals we can get, I think it can only be told after the end of the competitions and the goal of our competition and participation in the Turin Games is to try our best and try to give full play to the fighting spirit and the excellent techniques of our athletes," Xiao told a media briefing on Thursday (February 9).
    "In several disciplines like short-track speed skating, figure skating, speed skating and freestyle skiing, we have several disciplines in which it is possible to get gold medals," he added.
    The Chinese delegation of 78 athletes will be the country's largest for a Winter Olympics and for the first time will field more competitors in ski events (42) than ice sports (34).
    Since making their first appearance on the Winter Games scene at Lake Placid in 1980, China has seen steady growth in performance and participation.
    "Over the past 20 or more years, ever since the 1980s, Ms. Yang Yang has won two gold medals in Olympic Winter Games and almost 60 gold medals in World Championships and World Cups, so this performance at a sporting level is very high among all the athletes all over the world. Though I have no precise statistics, I think she must be among the very top athletes all over the world," Xiao said of Yang.
    Yang, who is campaigning for a spot on the IOC's athletes' commission, said she is not counting on a medal in Turin but her team mate Wang Meng will be expecting to feature on the podium.
    Wang will make her Olympic debut in Turin but her resume includes gold medals from the last two short track world championships.
    Freestyle skier Li Nina's credentials also mark her out as a potential Olympic champion.
    Li dominated the freestyle aerials competition last year winning the world championships and the World Cup title and has three victories in six events this season, including a win at Spindleruv Mlyn in the Czech Republic in the final Olympic tune up.
    Three Chinese couples will try to end Russian domination in the pairs figure skating competition.
    World champions in 2002 and 2003, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo would be among the gold medal favourites but there are lingering concerns over the pair's fitness having competed little since Zhao tore his Achilles tendon in August.
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