Former Olympic champions Deng Yaping and Yang Yang have offered advice to Chinese athletes to help them reduce pressure ahead of the Olympic Games.

"Chinese athletes tend to be more nervous when they play on home soil as they want to better perform in front of their compatriots," said Deng Yangpeng, a four-gold medalist in table tennis.

"But, according to my own experience, they had better not think about the results," she added.

Yang Yang, who broke China's gold draught at the Winter Olympics when she won the women's 500-meter short-track speed skating final at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, echoed Deng's viewpoints.

"It's natural that athletes feel nervous ahead of big events," said Yang. "What they should do is keep focused on the competition itself and don't get distracted from other matters."

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2008)