China team gears up for Paris Olympics
China's sports officials say the national team's performance during the coming Olympics will be "worth looking forward to," although they are faced with more challenges than previous games. The General Administration of Sport of China said it expects athletes to compete in around 210 out of the 329 events at the Paris Olympics next month. It said the national team would take part in all events in diving, weightlifting, shooting, gymnastics, table tennis and badminton – sports that the country is traditionally strong at. Tang Lingfeng, who heads the training division of the competitive sports department of the body, said the team was making its final preparations for Paris. But he said the time difference and other factors would not be favourable for the national team. "We are perfectly aware that the difficulties and challenges at the Paris Olympics are far greater than those before," he said. "The level of our athletic skills in some gold-winning events has dropped as we're transitioning from one generation of athletes to another."  Tang noted the United States, which has topped the gold medal table at world tournaments in the past, continues to be one of the main competitors, while other countries are also improving quickly. But the official said the national team has what it takes to achieve "outstanding results" in the French capital after preparing for the games for more than two years. He said they have also been working to instil patriotism into athletes and coaches. "We have been educating the national team... to further solidify their confidence and determination to attain good results at the Paris Olympics and bring glory to the country." Tang said doing well at the Olympics is important to turn China into a country that excels at sports.