Cui Dalin, the deputy head of the General Administration of Sports, says China has beefed up the psychological training of athletes to help them overcome the pressures at this year's Beijing Olympic Games. Cui also tried to lower outside expectation of the number of medals China may get at the Games. In his own words, "Basically speaking, we are not a strong athletic country; we should be more practical and rational."

An editorial in Beijing Youth Daily says compared with what Cui Dalin said last year, his description of China's sports strength this time is more rational.

The paper argues that China can be called a large sports country at best, but not a strong one. This is a fact, and it cannot be changed by vows and meaningless words. The whole country could be hurt psychologically if the slogan "a strong sports country" adds so much pressure on athletes that they cannot perform well at the Games.

The article further suggests that the Chinese people should encourage athletes to try their best at the Games without putting too much pressure on them.

The paper concludes by saying that it is not a question of how many medals the Chinese win or the ranking of China in the final tally, but the honor of competing. It is useless to seek the superficial title of a strong sports country.