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

Chinese sports officials might be overly modest when they say China may not match its 32 golds from the 2004 Olympics when it hosts the Beijing Games, if claims by state media and national coaches are any indication.

Even International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has said he would not be surprised to see China at the top of the medal count in 2008.

Winning as many gold as in 2004 would be as difficult as "climbing the sky," Feng Jianzhong, deputy president of the General Administration of Sport, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.

China finished second in the medal table at Athens with just three fewer golds than the United States, though its total medal tally of 63 was far behind the United States' 103.

"It is totally impossible for China to win 44 gold medals in 2008," Cui Dalin, assistant to the administration's director, was quoted as saying in response to rumors circulating in domestic media about the country's golden goals.

The officials' restrained expectations were based on China's 28 titles at world championships this year in its traditionally strong sports, such as weightlifting, shooting, diving, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and women's judo, Xinhua said.

Cui pointed specifically to weaknesses in track and field, swimming and other aquatic events as holding back the medal count in 2008.

"If we cannot achieve good results from these events, where will those 44 gold medal come from? It is totally impossible," he was quoted as saying in the report on Xinhua's English language Web site, www.chinaview.cn.

But China's sports machine has been making concerted efforts to improve in those events as well as others in which the country has never really been a contender.