Triple Olympic gold medallist Yang Wei said defending champions China expected stiff challenges from Japan in the men's team all-around event at the London Games this summer.
Yang was a member of Team China when they won their only two team all-around gold medals at the Olympic Games, in Sydney in 2000 and at home in Beijing four years ago.
He was in Hong Kong yesterday to promote an exhibition of his personal mementoes, including the two Olympic gold medals he won in Beijing.
'At last year's world championships in Tokyo, the two teams were very close,' Yang said. 'There will certainly be another tough contest between the two when they meet again in London.
'It is difficult to predict who can win. But China are targeting the gold medal again and they have prepared well for the Games.'
China won the world title for the fifth successive time in Tokyo, but only by benefiting from crucial mistakes by the last two Japanese gymnasts, which put the hosts second.
