The Chinese national women's football team has begun preparations for next year's Athens Olympics, under the new coach Zhang Haitao.

Given China's not-so-good performances at this year's World Cup and the retirement of several veterans, the squad has decided to call in a group of promising young players.

The average age of the new team is less than 24, and seven players are under the age of 20.

The team also had a new coach, 33-year-old Zhang Haitao, who met his players for the first time at their training camp in Guangzhou earlier this week.

Lack of coaching experience but rich in theory, Zhang is displaying many new training approaches from the off, focusing on physical strength and stamina.

It has impressed his players including Han Duan,

"The new training method will improve my physical strength, which will undoubtedly help us when we play against big European and American soccer players."

Although Zhang has never coached a women's team before, he believes his methods can be effective during the 40-day intensive training,

"I will set a good example for them in training. I'm very confident even though it takes time for my players to improve."

China was the runner-up at the 1996 Atlanta Games; however, it finished a disappointing seventh-place at the Sydney Games.

China has to fight for a berth in the Athens Games. The Asian qualifiers will be held in Japan in April.

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