(ECNS) -- More than 60 percent of the Chinese athletics team announced for Rio, that is 37 of the 56 competitors, are newcomers to the Olympic Games, and race walking is the most promising event for the country at the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics in August, a senior athletics official said at a briefing on Thursday.
Feng Shuyong, deputy director of the athletics center at the General Administration of Sport of China, said 27 men and 29 women athletes have qualified for the Rio Olympics.
The athletics competitions, containing 47 events, will last from August 12 to 21. The Chinese team will compete in 23 events – 10 men's and 13 women's, according to Feng.
The Chinese team won one gold, seven silvers and one bronze, with a total score of 94 points, at last year's World Athletics Championships in Beijing, so the public have high hopes for the Rio Games.
However, Feng said the Chinese team faces many challenges ahead, and lacks athletes with an absolute advantage, capable of winning gold medals.
Liu Hong claimed China's only gold medal at last year's World Athletics Championships after winning the women's 20 kilometer race walk. At this year's IAAF World Race Walking Cup, China reaped seven golds in total.
Meanwhile, in the wake of continued doping scandals, the Russian team has dim prospects in Rio.
Although the Chinese team faces a more favorable situation, it still has to fully prepare, as uncertainties remain, Feng said.
