A total of 35 Olympic gold medallists, led by hurdler Liu Xiang and badminton star Lin Dan, were among the 1,454 names put forward for the 16th Asiad. That represents around 10 percent of the total number of athletes, coaches and officials who will descend on the south China city over the next couple of weeks.
It is almost inconceivable that China will not win the most medals for the eighth successive time in the Games, building on their performances in Beijing two years ago, and continuing the preparations ahead of London 2012.
That said, it is a squad in transition with around two thirds of the 977 athletes having not been involved in either the 2008 Olympics or the previous Asian Games in Doha, four years ago.
"We hope to spot young talents at the Asian Games and prepare them for the 2012 London Olympics," said Duan Shijie, head of the Chinese delegation.
Much attention will focus on 110m hurdler Liu Xiang who followed golden glory in Athens in 2004 with heartbreak in Beijing four years later.
His Achilles’ tendon injury and subsequent withdrawal was a body blow for the man who had been the poster boy for the Games.
"I want to win at my third Asian Games and add one gold medal for China," Liu said on Friday after his last public training session before the Asiad in his hometown, Shanghai. "I'm in good form recently and I want to get the right feeling back gradually."
Lin Dan is a firm fans’ favorite and unlike Liu, got to enjoy his goldenmoment in Beijing. "Super Dan" is currently ranked third in the world and is looking to putbehind him the disappointment of a quarter final defeat in the world championships by Korean Sung-Hwan Park.
More than 14,000 athletes, trainers and coaches from 45 countries and regions are expected to take part in the Guangzhou Asian Games, vying for 476 gold medals in 42 sports.
The Olympic Council of Asia, the body responsible for organizing the Games, announced on Tuesday the competition schedule had not been finalized.
In a statement, the OCA said the schedule is "almost complete" and that Games organizers were struggling to size of the Games, which are larger than the Olympics held two years ago in Beijing.
Tian Xinde, Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee said the schedule "should be finalized before Saturday, October 30".
All venues will be open for training from November 5 – one week before the Opening Ceremony.
Meanwhile, in Guangzhou, the remaining one million tickets went on sale this week, although the opening and closing ceremonies have long been sold out.
Tickets to see Liu Xiang and Lin Dan in action are definitely among the hottest in town.
Guangzhou is the second Chinese city to host the Asian Games. Beijing staged the quadrennial sporting event in 1990.
With reporting from Matt Horn in Guangzhou.
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