China's 2008 gold math may not adding up
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-12-28 22:06

On Monday, Xinhua cited speculated China had a lock on 30 to 40 golds -- "It's no longer a question," the state-run news agency said.

After bringing in top foreign coaches, a total of three Chinese golds in the rowing, canoeing and sailing events was a "realistic goal," it said in a separate article.

Other reports have cited modern pentathlon, Greco-Roman wrestling and boxing among events in which Chinese men could jump from Olympic zeroes to heroes, and China's women are determined to win their first golds in field hockey, triathlon and softball.

The country has also vowed to bolster weak spots like athletics by sending more athletes to train abroad.

It already has one track favorite in Liu Xiang, winner of the 110m hurdles at Athens, and should field some newer names, such as Huang Xiaoxiao, who took fifth in the women's 400m hurdles at this year's World Championships in Helsinki.

The Chinese swimming team currently has few established stars besides Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan, but some say that may be part of a larger strategy.

After Luo and her teammates failed to win a single title at the World Championships in Montreal, U.S. coaches voiced suspicions China was hiding its best swimmers and planning on springing them just before the 2008 Olympics.

Only once the torch has been lit at the Beijing Games will the world know if China has been genuinely or falsely modest about its golden aims.