Chinese Vice Premier encourages athletes to have good performance at Tokyo Olympics

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talks with athletes while inspecting the General Administration of Sport of China in Beijing, capital of China, July 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, July 31 -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan called on Chinese athletes to work hard to achieve good results at next year's Tokyo Olympic Games.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks after greeting China's weightlifting, gymnastics, diving, artistic swimming and track and field teams in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.

Sun urged Chinese athletes to have good preparation in the following year and display their fighting spirits in their participation at the Tokyo Games. She added that zero-tolerance stance on doping had to be maintained and Chinese athletes must compete clean at the Games.

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics less than one year away, Sun asked the athletes to strive for as many Olympic berths as possible.

Chinese athletes captured 26 golds, 18 silvers and 26 bronzes to finish in third place on the medal table behind the United States and Britain at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016. Next year, the hosts Japan are expected to fight with China for the second place of the medal tally on home soil.