With the opening of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil just a few days away, the Chinese delegation is rigorously making its final preparations for the competition.
About half of the 411-man strong team is currently in training at the Esporte Clube Pinheiros training facility in Sao Paolo, around 430 kilometers from Rio, CRI reported. Around 10 of the 16 teams the country will field in the Games will do their final preparations in the facility before the Games open on Aug. 5.
The teams started their training in the facility last July 22. According to Sun Yuanfu, Deputy Chef de Mission for the delegation's pre-Games training camp, the early training in the camp will help the4 athletes adapt better to Brazil's climate, as well as adjust to the time difference between Brazil and China.
The camp is set to run up until Aug. 15, the delegation will move to the Olympic Village in Rio, where they will stay for the duration of the Games.
China's Rio delegation is the largest the country has sent for the quadrennial meet. According to analysts, events like swimming, table tennis, and athletics are where the country will likely get its biggest medal hauls in the games, and that it will rely heavily on top athletes like swimmer Sun Yang and tennis player Li Xiaoxia. China placed second to the United States in terms of Podium finishes during the 2012 London Olympics, getting 88 medals including 38 golds.
Meanwhile, the Chinese foreign ministry issued a travel advisory for its citizens visiting Brazil for the Olympics, after four sports officials became victims to armed robbers in Rio, AOL reported. The ministry warned that Chinese tourists should not bring valuable items with them when they go out, it also advised them to not try to fight with robbers to avoid injuries.
The four victims are reportedly officials of the Chinese Anti-Doping agency and were attacked just two days after they arrived in the city.