China sets sights on 120 gold medals

China aims to garner at least 120 gold medals at the Asian Games in South Korea and extend its dominance of the regional sporting event.

Chinese sports officials were targeting 120 gold medals and believed the first 100 would be a cinch for their 948-member delegation -- third biggest at the games behind host South Korea and Japan, the China Daily reported on Saturday.

"It is no problem for us to reach 100 golds, but that is only part of what we want," He Huixian, head of China's delegation was quoted as saying.

"We will host the Olympic Games six years down the road and we'd like to consider this games as a way to improve our up-and-coming young athletes," he said.

China won 129 golds to lead the medal tally at the Asian Games in Bangkok four years ago.

A South Korean Sports Council official told Reuters China was expected to take more than 150 golds at the games, beginning from Sunday in and around the port city of Pusan. South Korea was aiming for 80 and rival Japan would garner 60-70.

The Asian Games would act as a proving grounds for Chinese athletes, so they could "shine" at the Olympics in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008, the newspaper said.

"We are not only focusing on winning gold medals, but also on sharpening the skills of those who are possible competitors for the next two Olympic Games," he said.