Tomatoes go nicely with gold

Chinese athletes will have a little more tomato in their lives.

On Wednesday, the 100-day countdown to the London Olympic Games was marked with Tianshenghe Foods and Beverage Co Ltd of Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, signing a partnership deal with the China National Sports Training Center (NSTC), making the company's tomato juice the official drink of the center.

The juice, Red Drink, nicely matches the team's jersey and the color of China's national Five-Star Red Flag.

"We take pride in signing the deal," said Tianshenghe general manager Liu Qian. "And the 100-day countdown to the London Olympics now has also become a new start for our company after becoming the partner of the NSTC."

Liu pledged to aid China's sports development and social welfare. Neither side would disclose the details of the contract, but Liu said it was the company's largest public welfare effort.

"I can promise we're here to help the Chinese athletes and not to give any trouble," Liu said. "We are primed to grow with China's sports."

The NSTC said the juice passed strict tests by the China Anti-doping Center, so it's safe for athletes to drink.

Chinese sports minister Liu Peng said China is sending a 600-member delegation to London. He said 320 athletes have already qualified, and by the time qualifications end in May, China will have about 400 athletes on the roster.

More than 300 Chinese athletes in 11 sports will train in Leeds before the opening of the Games. The first to arrive will be the canoe and kayak and swimming teams, followed by table tennis, badminton, track and field, taekwondo and the rest.

The hosts will endeavor to accommodate the athletes by providing good Chinese food and top-notch facilities.

The NSTC was founded 60 years ago, and now looks after more than 1,000 elite athletes. It has churned out 120 of China's 163 Olympic champions.

"Thanks to the social support of companies such as Tianshenghe, we achieved outstanding results," said Wang Lusheng, party secretary of the NSTC. "The deal will definitely help China's athletes prepare for the Olympics and achieve excellent results in London. "In return, I hope Red Drink can go abroad in the hands of China's Olympic champions."