Chinese turn to psychology to counter Beijing pressure

By Liu Zhen

BEIJING (Reuters) - China sports administration has brought in psychologists to help their athletes deal with the pressure of competing on home soil at next year's Beijing Olympics.

The high expectation of the Chinese public has been highlighted by Chinese sports officials and top athletes as a negative factor in some of China's strongest sports such as shooting, diving and gymnastics.

"We are paying high attention to this problem and have prepared psychological guidance and training for the athletes," Cui Dalin, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Sports told a news conference on Friday.

Shooting team coach Chang Jingchun told reporters they had invited a psychology professor to stay with the team.

"We also have our shooters learning English and watching movies to enrich their daily life as a sort of pressure relief," added his colleague Wang Yuefang.

Olympic gymnastics champion Li Xiaopeng said he could not stand the pressure of expectation.

"But I have no other choice except going on competing," he said. "I like to sleep and eat to relax."

Some Olympic analyses based on world championship results predict that the Chinese, who won 32 gold medals to finish second behind the U.S. at the Athens Games, will probably win 40 plus gold medals next August.

Cui, in line with a sports ministry policy of downplaying expectations, said this was because Chinese athletes had started serious preparation for the Games long before their rivals and athletes from other countries would peak during the Games.

"We are not able to be optimistic," he said.

"The Americans' leadership is unmovable, and Russia has bigger potential than us."

Gao Jian, director of China's Gymnastics Administration, said his squad would achieve a better result than the one gold medal in Athens, but the head of Chinese Athletics Administration said China's track and field team were "very weak".

"Realistically, we are targeting getting into finals," said Luo Chaoyi.

(Reporting by Liu Zhen; Editing by Peter Rutherford)