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Tuesday, September 19
China's women want to get through preliminaries
Reuters
CANBERRA, Australia -- An injury-free Chinese women's
team has survival more than revenge on its mind when the
Olympic soccer tournament gets under way next week.
China, runner-up to the United States at the Atlanta games
in 1996 and in last year's World Cup, are in the same
preliminary round group as their American arch-rivals and
Norway, who finished third in Atlanta.
"First, we have to win the preliminary round," Wang
Junsheng, vice president of the Chinese Football Association,
told Reuters at the team's training site in Canberra. They play
their opening game against Nigeria here on Sept. 14.
"Ask me about our chances of winning after we get through
the preliminary round," he said.
Nigeria is the fourth team in their group, which was picked
at random in June, while Sweden, host Australia, Germany and
Brazil are in the other group.
"That's just the luck of the draw," said soccer tournament
official Phil Bradshaw.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the semifinals.
The Sino-U.S. rivalry, fierce after the Americans won gold
in Atlanta, increased with last year's dramatic World Cup final that the United States won on penalties.
The match was played against the backdrop of a political
crisis sparked by an air strike on the Chinese embassy in
Belgrade during the U.S.-led NATO bombing campaign against
Yugoslavia.
After Beijing rejected NATO's explanations that the attack
was a mistake, the women's soccer clash became a matter of
national pride.
In this year's Olympic tournament, China plays the United
States in Melbourne on Sept. 17, and their final group game
against the Norwegians three days later.
Wang declined to make any predictions for the gold medal
final on Sept. 28.
"All of the teams that have qualified are good," he said.
"Whoever can control their players and take advantage of their
chances will do well."
Wang said China's star striker, team captain Sun Wen, had
recovered from a knee injury.
"We don't have any injury problems, she is fine now," he
said.
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