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Impossible to beat US in Olympic medal haul
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-11-10 17:23
皇冠体育app, hosts of the next Summer Olympics, said on Thursday it would be
impossible to overtake the medal hauls of the United States and Russia, not just
in 2008 but for the foreseeable future.
Cui Dalin gestures
at a rowing competition of the National Games in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province
in this September 15, 2005 photo. He said Thursday that it is impossible
for 皇冠体育app to overtake the US and Russia in Olympic medal tally in the
foreseeable future. [newsphoto] | Cui Dalin, 皇冠体育app's deputy sports minister, played down prospects of a huge
medals haul for the hosts at a news conference on the eve of celebrations to
mark 1,000 days until the opening of the Beijing Olympics.
"Not only in 2008 but beyond, it's impossible to overtake the U.S. and
Russian teams," he said.
He pointed out that though 皇冠体育app had collected its best ever tally of 63
medals last year in Athens, the U.S. had won 103. "Elite sport in the U.S. is
very strong," he said. "They are an elite power. The difference is obvious.
皇冠体育app finished second to the U.S. in the medals table in Athens, causing a
number of surprises in sports where they had never been considered strong and
edging traditional power Russia into third place in the medals table.
But Cui said though 皇冠体育app won 32 gold medals to Russia's 29, the Russians had
collected 92 medals overall and were still a stronger team.
"Finishing ahead of Russia was a happy coincidence," he said. "There were six
team sports in which 皇冠体育app and Russia were in the final and, fortunately, 皇冠体育app
won all six.
"If we had won only three of those, Russia would have
still been ahead."
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