A Chinese gymnast practices on the balance beam at Anhui's sports training centre in Hefei, capital city of Anhui Province, August
9. In Olympic competition this week, China's champion male gymnasts reached only fifth place in the team event, one of a series of major upsets in sports at which the country has historically excelled. The gymnast is one of about 300,000 children in sports academies across China, where they are groomed for international glory in events such as gymnastics, ping pong, swimming, volleyball, badminton, weight lifting and soccer. The rigorous training centres, patterned after Soviet sport schools, have helped China secure a total of some 1,600 medals at the Olympics, World Championships and the World Cup since 1949. Picture taken
on August 9, 2004. — Reuters
