A senior Philippine sports official on Monday said the sports authority is considering China as the top training ground for its athletes as a quality alternative to the United States and other Western countries.

In an interview with Xinhua, William Ramirez, chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, said right after the Beijing Olympic Games in August, the government plans to send Filipino weight-lifters, swimmers, divers, among others, back to China for preparation of the upcoming regional meets and eventually the 2012 London Olympics.

Ramirez said Filipino athletes, including Olympians such as divers Sheila Mae Perez and Ryan Fabriga, have received training in China and the results were very good.

The sports chief said aside from the strict and intensive training Filipino athletes are expected to get in China, they can also benefit from being immersed in an atmosphere where the spirit of fighting for the country's pride and the appreciation of sportsmen excellence prevail.

Ramirez said Philippines' national diving and fencing teams are both coached by Chinese Olympians and they helped improve the athletes' performance tremendously.

The Philippines will send a team of 14 athletes to Beijing to compete in six sports - archery, swimming, diving, boxing, taekwondo, and shooting.