CHN - 'No pressure' as Asian giants head to London

BEIJING (Olympics) - China felt enormous pressure to not only reach the knockout stages of the women's basketball tournament as the host nation of the 2008 Olympics, but to achieve a top-four finish.

The Tom Maher-coached team achieved that aim with a Quarter-Final triumph over Belarus.

China fell to Australia in the last four and then lost to Russia in the battle for bronze, but their summer was still deemed a success.

In 2012, with the Games to be staged in London, it's a very different story.

China, who are number seven in the FIBA Rankings for Women, are looking only to play well with a mix of veterans and youngsters.

A target hasn't been set.

Coach Sun Fengwu is prepared to let the cards fall where they may.

"This team is different from the one at the Beijing Olympics," Sun said.

"Some of our key players such as Lan Bian had to leave the team due to injuries."

Lan averaged 11.9 points per game in Beijing and played the following year at the FIBA Asia Championship but didn't feature at the World Championship in the Czech Republic, or at last year's Asia Championship in Japan.

"The team is mixed with both veterans and inexperienced young players," Sun said.

"So we do not set any goals for the team in London."

The Chinese do have one very important player who is still in the side.

She is Lijie Miao, whose average of 17.9 points per contest made her the tournament's leading scorer at the 2008 Olympics.

China will play in Group A with the United States, Angola and three teams that have come out of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Ankara: Turkey, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

The Czechs are their first opponents on 28 July.
                               
"Much will depend on how we start in the Group," Sun said.

"Not setting any goals means we are not under any serious pressure.

"The good news is we do not have to carry on too much pressure. I hope the players can find chemistry among each other and play their best," Sun added.

FIBA