CHINA’S soccer, beach volleyball, and yachting teams arrived in the South Korean coastal city of Busan yesterday for the 14th Asian Games.

　　The soccer team went with a simple target of a semifinal berth but a lofty view toward the future.

　　Yan Shiduo, executive vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), said China saw the Sept. 29-Oct. 14 games as a chance to blood new talent on the road to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as well as the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.

　　“This time we just send our U-21 soccer team to Busan, well below the age limit of 23. What’s more, we won’t use the wildcards, namely no one aged beyond 23, or even 21.” said Yan.

　　The team is likely to make up the core of the senior national squad in the coming years. Qu Bo, An Qi and Du Wei, three of the squad, have already been capped by Chinese former coach Bora Milutinovic at the World Cup in June and started in group matches. Coach Shen Xiangfu stressed that his squad was looking for experience rather than glory.

　　Qu Bo had an offer from English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur after the World Cup but failed to get a work permit from the British government.

　　Miao Zhihong, the beach volleyball coach, said the women’s pair of Tian Jia and Wang Fei, hot favorites for gold, would face tough challenges from Japan and Thailand.

　　As for the men’s pair, Miao said that the chances were relatively smaller. They would face strong competitors from a number of countries like Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, he said. added.

　　(Xinhua)