刘国梁：做好困难准备丨Olympic COVID rules difficult

The pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympic Games is presenting several challenges, but the Chinese athletes are ready to face the difficulties. 

受新冠疫情的影响，东京奥运会带来了一些挑战，但中国运动员已经准备好去面对这些困难。 

Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association said during an interview aired on Tuesday that, "we didn't expect some epidemic rules like not wiping the game table with your hand, or blowing (on the ball)".
中国乒协主席刘国梁在周二播出的采访中说到，“一些疫情期间的规则，如不能用手擦拭比赛台，或（对球）吹气，是我们没有预想到的。”

"The preparation for this Olympic Games is actually extremely hard," he added.

“这次奥运会备战极其艰难，”他补充说。

Liu said the team is now helping athletes "resist pressure and interference" at the Olympics.

刘国梁称，团队在想尽办法磨练球员的抗压、抗干扰能力。

Despite the situation, he showed confidence towards Team China when speaking to reporters after the delegation's unveiling ceremony on Wednesday. 

尽管如此，他在周三的中国代表团成立仪式结束后对记者表示中国队信心满满。 

"We hope to perform well and with style in Tokyo to present the image of Chinese Olympians to the world," said Liu.

“我们希望在东京展现出良好的品格，向世界展示中国奥运选手的形象，”刘国梁说。

▲ Photo/Xinhua

The Chinese Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday it will send 431 athletes, 133 men and 298 women, to the Tokyo 2020 Games. The event starts on July 23 after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
中国奥林匹克委员会于周三宣布，中国将派出431名运动员，包括133名男运动员和298名女运动员前往参加2020年东京奥运会。该赛事因疫情推迟一年，将于7月23日开幕。

▲ Photo/Xinhua

Very nearly all of the delegation, which also includes 346 coaches, trainers and officials, has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the General Administration of Sport of China.
国家体育总局称，几乎所有的代表团，包括346名教练员、训练员和官员，都已接种新冠疫苗。

Chinese athletes have qualified in 225 events across 30 sports at the Games, which features 339 medal events over 17 days of competition.

本届奥运会在17天的比赛中共设有339个小项，中国运动员在30个大项中共获得225个小项的参赛资格。

Team China, led by 24 Olympic champions, is expected to perform well in table tennis, diving, weightlifting, shooting, gymnastics and badminton, six sports it is traditionally strong in. The team hopes to better its haul of 26 gold medals won at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

由24位奥运冠军领衔的中国队预计将在乒乓球、跳水、举重、射击、体操和羽毛球这六个传统优势项目中表现出色。中国队希望能够超越在2016年里约热内卢奥运会上获得的26枚金牌的成绩。