Chinese swimming showed calmness after the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) announced in Beijing on Thursday to change the
swimming schedule in Beijing Olympic Games from evening to
morning.
"We are not surprised by the decision. It's what we did not
wish, but we have to face the reality." said Zhang Yadong, head
coach of the Chinese national team. "It's fair to every swimmer at
the Olympics."
According to the IOC, the swimming finals and some of the
artistic gymnastics are to be held in the morning during the
Beijing Olympics while athletes usually perform better at night and
most of the swimming world records are splashed at night.
Zhang revealed on Friday that the Chinese swimmers are ready to
move up their training time and everyday life ahead of the local
time.
"We plan to switch our watches earlier. We will get up earlier,
eat earlier and train earlier, just like when we are competing in
other countries," the head coach said.
"We will launch the new plan from next year and testing the new
schedule at the national championships next autumn."
Women's butterfly swimmer Zhou Yafei, who broke two Asian
records over 50 meters and 100 meters at the national championships
in September, said: "No matter what the schedule is, we will be
ready to swim our best. The most important thing is to improve
ourselves."
The shift to morning for the swimming finals had sparked
controversy since this year, with protests by a number of Olympic
champions and world leading swimmers, including Ian Thorpe of
Australia, Roland Schoeman of South Africa, Kosuke Kitajima from
Japan, Laure Manaudou of France and Pieter van den Hoogenband of
the Netherlands.
At the 1988 Seoul Games, swimming, gymnastics and athletics
finals were held in the morning.
(Xinhua News Agency October 28, 2006)