Xinhua
Beijing, March 6 (Xinhua) With roughly five months to go before the Beijing Olympic Games here, China’s first Winter Olympic medallist Ye Qiaobo asked her compatriots not to place a huge burden of expectations on the organisers and Chinese athletes as well. “Nothing can be perfect, so you cannot expect everything about the Beijing Games is perfect. It’s not realistic,” said Ye, who won two speed skating silver medals at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, and now works as a consultant for the Beijing Olympics Organising Committee (BOCOG).

Expectations about the Beijing Olympics have run high ever since the Chinese capital won the bid in July 2001. Though preparations have been going smoothly on the whole, pressure mounts on the hosts to deliver a best ever Games when they start Aug 8 here.

“It’s quite common that the organisers of a single-sport event make mistakes, not to mention such a big event as the Olympics,” said Ye.

“Therefore, the public should not make a fuss about the trivial matter, and should instead keep composure when judging and taking part in the games.”

Ye also asked the media and the public not to let the expectations build too much for the athletes.

“Excessive pressure could crush them. Even medal hopefuls like Liu Xiang could fail if he cannot survive the pressure,” she said.

China finished second in the gold medal tally in Athens with 32 gold medals, four behind the Americans’ 36. But China won 63 medals overall, far less than the US (102) and Russia (92).

The Chinese are widely believed to finish on top this time, but the sports authorities are talking about being an underdog. Ye also warned their fans not to expect too much.

“China’s success in Athens was somewhat exceptional. For the Chinese, holding onto the second place on home soil is not an easy task,” said Ye.
Xinhua