Thirty American track and field athletes and coaches had reached the northeastern coastal city of Dalian on Thursday, a Dalian sports official said on Friday.

Jiang Zuomei, deputy director of the Dalian Sports Bureau who leads the reception of the star-studded American team, also said the other members of the 150-strong U.S. athletics squad will get to Dalian soon.

Jiang said the first batch of the U.S. team are mostly coaches and staffs

The U.S. coaching team inspected the Liaoning track and field sports training center and the Dalian University, the two training bases prepared for Americans.

The surface of the tracks in the two venues seem new and two big tents were erected at the side of the Dalian University tracks to screen athletes from summer light, heat or rain.

"We have renovated the track and field tracks in these two places and also installed some new facilities to meet the Americans' need," said Jiang.

Joe Vigil, a senior coach of distance running who has participated in the Olympic Games since 1968, said highly of training facilities.

"It's one of the best track and field in the world that I have ever seen, it's well designed that can be seen from the details," said Vigil said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2008)