A leading sports official in Macau believes that the host city can win a record number of medals when the nine-day, 17-sport event begins on Saturday.
But the Macau delegation's chef de mission, Ma Iao Hang, has declined to fix a medals target as it could put extra pressure on his athletes.
'I think the East Asian Games will be very successful, and I feel confident that we will win more medals this time than we have in the previous three,' said Ma, who is a second vice-president of the Macau Olympic Committee.
'We have high hopes in wushu, dragon boat and karate, and other chances in weightlifting, shooting and taekwondo,' said Ma. 'The athletes and the trainers have been working very hard for the East Asian Games, and I don't want to put them under any more pressure by setting a medals target for the team.'
Macau came away from the first two editions of the East Asian Games - in Shanghai in 1993 and Pusan, South Korea, in 1997 - with just one bronze medal each time, but won one gold and three bronze four years ago in Osaka, Japan.
The gold was from Han Jing in the wushu women's all-round event, and she is Macau's biggest hope again this time.