400 Chinese athletes expected to compete in Rio Olympics

China will send about 400 athletes to compete at the Rio Olympic Games in August, a senior sports official said on Wednesday.

According to Liu Aijie, deputy director of the competitive sports department of China's State General Administration of Sport, some 400 Chinese athletes will compete in 220 events of 26 sports at the Games, which will run from Aug 5-21 in Brazil.

With more than two months to go, China has yet to qualify for handball and rugby. "The qualification chance of the two looks very slim," Liu said.

Four years ago, 396 Chinese athletes competed at the London Olympic Games, finishing second behind the United Sates in the medal tally with 88 medals, including 38 golds.

Liu was cautious about predicting China's prospects in Rio, citing the US and Russia as top rivals.

"Germany, Britain and Japan also increased their investment into their Olympic preparation, therefore, they may also pose big threats to us," Liu said.

As introduced by Liu, the Chinese Olympic team has yet to be finalized, since some of the sports teams are still in their selection stage. The final team will be named in the latter half of July.