Hu said China is quite awarded of the shortcomings the opponents will capitalize on during the Olympics - to isolate Yao Ming and cut off the connection between Yao and passers.

"We have no secrets to our opponents. They will definitely take full-court one-on-one defence when they face China. They'll try to wear Yao down as he is the critical stature of our offence. Obviously, we'll do our things to deal with them."

This is the first time the Olympics will be held in China. Basketball, the arguable first sport in China, is one of the hottest events at the Beijing Games.

"To win or to lose, it doesn't matter. The priority is to cheer up the fans. We could lose games, but we cannot let the fans down. This is a chance for centuries. We'll give our fans the best Olympic basketball competition in the Chinese history," Hu vowed.