China will be looking to a largely inexperienced team to lay the groundwork for the Beijing Olympics in less than two years' time at the world gymnastics championships that get underway in Aarhus, Denmark today.

 

The injury-ravaged Chinese are particularly eager to make their mark in the men's team event -- a title they won at the 2000 Olympics and the 2003 worlds before finishing a disappointing fifth at the 2004 Athens Games.

 

But their aspirations have been hit by a number of high-profile injuries including Olympic gold medallist Huang Xu, who is suffering from a strained chest muscle.

 

Feng Jing, the individual all-around gold medallist at the 2001 world championships, will replace Huang in a team already without injured Olympic champions Li Xiaopeng and Teng Haibin.

 

The younger team members will be bolstered, however, by defending pommel champion Xiao Qin and 2000 Olympic team winner Yang Wei, while Cheng Fei will defend her vault title in the women's event.

 

Their leading rivals are expected to be Japan, Romania and Russia in a competition where a new scoring system will be used for the first time at a world event.

 

The US, the 2003 world and 2004 Olympic silver medallists, are competing with an inexperienced men's side, without 2004 Olympic all-around champion Paul Hamm and his brother Morgan who are focusing on their education and will decide next year whether to continue in competitive gymnastics.

 

Japan, the 2004 Olympic team winners, can fancy their chances with Hiroyuki Tomita and Hisashi Mizutori taking silver and bronze respectively in the all-around event at the 2005 worlds.

 

Romania's challenge will be spearheaded by multiple Olympic medallist and world champion on vault Marian Dragulescu while the once-dominant Russians are on the rise again capturing the European team title under new coach Andrei Rodionenko.

 

Rodionenko has called on experienced veterans Nikolai Krukov and Alexei Bondarenko who returned after suffering a back injury in Athens 2004.

 

The US are favorites in the women's team event despite the shoulder injury suffered by Nastia Liukin.

 

Liukin, 16, is the reigning uneven bars and balance beam world champion and was the 2005 world all-around and floor exercise runner-up.

 

But she may just compete in the uneven bars because of her injury.

 

Defending world all-around champion Chellsie Memmel, 18, was second on the uneven bars and balance beam at last year's worlds.

 

Alicia Sacramone, 18, is the reigning floor exercise world champion.

 

Russia and surprise European champions Italy will be looking to upset the Americans as will Olympic champions Romania despite the retirement of triple Olympic gold medallist Catalina Ponor.

 

The new system of marking will come under the microscope during the October 14-21 competition in Aarhus.

 

The maximum 10 score has been scrapped and replaced by a new accumulative points system that credits the routine's content, difficulty and execution.

 

(China Daily October 14, 2006)