Beijing, China, July 15, 2021: China will send 431 athletes, including 24 Olympic champions, to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Chinese delegation, which was unveiled in Beijing on Wednesday, July 14, includes 298 female athletes and 133 male athletes who will compete in 225 events at the Games which will open on July 23 in Tokyo.
Among the 24 Olympic champions, 19 claimed gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, while 293 athletes will make their Olympic debut.
“This is the largest ever Olympic delegation China has sent overseas,” said Gao Zhidan, deputy director of China’s State General Administration of Sport, adding that the delegation has a total of 777 members, including 30 foreign coaches. Almost all members have taken COVID-19 vaccines.
Quan Hongchan, 14, who will compete in women’s diving, is the youngest of the delegation, while the 52-year-old Li Zhenqiang from the Chinese equestrian team will be the oldest Chinese athlete featured at the Games.
Women’s shot put world champion Gong Lijiao, two-time taekwondo Olympic gold medallist Wu Jingyu, men’s shooting world champion Pang Wei, Olympic race walk champion Liu Hong and Olympic trampoline silver medallist Dong Dong are among the most experienced athletes in the delegation as they are on their fourth Olympic trip.
China expects a haul of gold medals from traditionally strong sports such as table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, weightlifting, shooting and diving.
“The aim of the Chinese delegation is to remain competitive in the gold medal tally. The total number of golds of our Chinese delegation in each Olympics has been declining since 2008, and we want to stop this trend in Tokyo,” said Liu Guoyong, secretary general of the Chinese delegation.
“We also need to ensure zero COVID-19 infections in our delegation during the whole Olympics, and we will follow all the rules required by the Tokyo organising committee,” Liu added.
The Chinese table tennis team, which won all four golds in Rio, is aiming to defend its honour this year. “We have worked hard for five years. For the old players, the Tokyo Olympics might be their last battle, and I hope they can fulfil their wishes. As for young players, I hope they could leave the burden and build new glories,” Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said.
New events such as surfing and sport climbing make their debut in Tokyo, and 20-year-old Song Yiling will participate in women’s climbing. “Tokyo will be my first Olympics. As a young athlete, I will be myself and try my best,” she said.
Source: Xinhua