From counseling to nutrition, assistance is readily available

Making the Asian Games a test run for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is a priority for the Chinese delegation in Jakarta - athletes and support staff alike.

In order to help every one of the nation's 845 competitors enjoy a better environment in Indonesia, the Chinese delegation has for the first time established a support center near the athletes village.

According to center director Yuan Shoulong, it provides athletes with everything from psychological counseling to nutritional support, medical aid and data analysis.

"During the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, we visited and learned from other delegations such as Canada, the US and Japan and made a report about how we could improve our support system at major international events to better help our athletes," said Yuan.

"It's really time-intensive for each athlete at the Asian Games. Many of them have trained for four years just for this moment, and if they don't have a good performance because of external environmental factors, it would be of great regret to them."

The center has a staff of 169, and if a Chinese athlete needs help, he or she has to make appointment to be assigned to an expert. As some Chinese athletes are in Palembang, the center has a smaller branch in the co-host city of these Games.

"The first step is difficult because we have to make our athletes understand us and make them happy for being here," said Yuan. "We contacted many of our team leaders telling them the purpose and the function of our center.

"It's a new thing for us compared to the traditional methods of supporting our athletes. We will keep improving to make the system more comprehensive. It takes time."

Chen Fangcan, one of the staff experts, said the first visitors were the gymnastics and water polo squads.

"We heard that the water polo squad beat Japan last Friday, and we are so happy," said Chen. "They have some really tough games to play, but they thanked us for our help in preparing them for the competition."

As some of the girls on the water polo team have been troubled by injuries that could influence their performance, Chen provided special physical training and equipment, including a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

So far, the new center has received rave reviews - but Yuan said there is still more to be done.

"There are still many problems waiting to be solved before we go to the Olympics," said the director. "But I'm confident that the support center in Tokyo will be better than what we have now."