To improve competitiveness in some Western-dominated sports, such as track and field, rowing and water polo, the Chinese delegation has hired 30 foreign coaches and physical trainers from 19 countries.

Steve Redgrave, a five-time Olympic rowing champion for Great Britain, said he has been impressed by the progress of Chinese rowers since he took over the national program in 2018 as director of high-level performance. "We are now a good team going to Tokyo," Redgrave said last week at the team's training base in northeastern Beijing's Shunyi district.

"We've got chances of good medals, hopefully gold medals. The plan is to get stronger for Paris 2024, so Tokyo is just a steppingstone."

China's much-improved women's quadruple sculls team and the men's double sculls are gold medal favorites in Tokyo, he said.