Hong Kong athletes will join champion hurdler Liu Xiang at the iconic 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium in Beijing today during the first track and field test event at the Olympic centrepiece venue.
Sprint king Chiang Wai-hung will lead a Hong Kong squad of eight men and two women - all of whom are sprinters. The competition represents one of the lastopportunities for Hong Kong's track and field athletes to qualify for Beijing.
So far no athlete has reached the standard, although they will compete in at least three other overseas events in hopes of qualifying.
Featuring China's superstar hurdler Liu Xiang, the four-day track and field tournament is also the first major international sports event held on the mainland since the deadly earthquake in Sichuan.
The grief and sense of loss will be reflected by a one-minute silence among the thousands of expected spectators and athletes before the 9am start. The opening day highlight will be the late evening debut of Liu, (pictured) the defending Olympic and world 110-metre hurdles champion at the 90,000-seat stadium where he is expected to shine in August.
Gripped by shock and sadness like the rest of the nation after the earthquake, China's Olympic hopefuls have had their preparations briefly disrupted. Officials reported that no national team members were killed or injured in the disaster, although several provincial-level athletes in the quake-hit province lost family members, according to Xinhua.
