Chinese athletes took SARS- infected 2003 as a rare opportunity to rest and train despite a series of competitions canceled or postponed, booking tickets for 116 events out of 17 sports from the next year's Olympic Games.

During the SARS outbreak and after, Chinese athletes were forced to withdraw from about 200 competitions, including 100 internationals.

However, they thus got an unruffled period of time, taking up systematic training instead of wearing out to trail after heavy competition schedules.

Li Furong, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports, said Chinese athletes had made some progress during the closed-door training as the SARS crisis peaked in March to May.

"In the past several years, our athletes took part in more and more competitions, leaving little time for systematic training," Li said. "But the SARS outbreak forced them to stay isolated from outside, and they could do nothing but plowing into training."

Li raised Chinese badminton and gymnastics teams as examples, saying that the world championships held late in the year showed their close-door hardwork had paid off.

Chinese shuttlers won the men's and women's singles and women's doubles in the world championships in Birmingham and the gymnastics team swept five world championship titles, their best result in two decades.

Li said 211 Chinese had qualified for 116 events at 17 sports in the Athens Games.

China is expected to send 350-400 athletes to Athens to participate in around 200 events in 25-26 sports, but it's rather difficult to repeat the 2000 Sydney triumph with 28 golds in Athens, Li reckoned.

"The 28 golds in 2000 wasn't a normal result for China, as we won several unexpected events," said Li. "I don't think we can win as many again in Athens."

China is hard to narrow the gap to traditional powerhouses the United States and Russia, and meanwhile it is facing tough challenge from Germany, which finished fifth in Sydney with 14 golds.

"Hopefully, China will take around 20 gold medals and remain in third place overall," Li said.

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