BEIJING: China's national team basketball coach Robert Donewald has said his team must and will win the upcoming Asian championships – a victory that would ensure a ticket to the London Olympics in 2012. “There is no doubt about it. September 25 is the championships. We are going to get that win,” Donewald, an American, said in comments carried by the China Daily Tuesday. “We've got to win. We feel that the Chinese fans, at least, deserve to see their team at the Olympics.” The championships will run from Sept. 16-25 in the central city of Wuhan, with China seeking to avenge a 70-52 loss to Iran in the finals of the last edition, played in China in 2009. Iran has won the last two Asian championships, signalling a new balance of power in the region that is challenging the supremacy of China, which has won 14 regional crowns and struck gold at the Asian Games in November in Guangzhou. As in the past two championships, China's iconic center Yao Ming will not play due to injury, but the team will be anchored by Washington Wizards power forward Yi Jianlian and former Dallas Mavericks centre Wang Zhizhi. The upcoming championships had earlier been scheduled to take place in Lebanon, but a last-ditch effort by China to get the event moved to Wuhan has ensured home court advantage for Donewald's side. China's ability to finance major sports events – and guarantee broadcast and ticket revenues – was seen as a major reason the Asian Basketball Federation agreed to allow the nation to host two successive championships. Although the road to the 2012 London Olympics will not be easy, Donewald said he is not feeling any pressure even as Team China lost two friendly matches against Australia over the weekend. “I'm not under any kind of pressure. It's competition and I love it. I don't see it as pressure. I see it as a lot of fun,” Donewald said. “Right now, what we are witnessing is probably the best team defense in the history of China, but I still think it's not good enough ... we have got to get a lot better if we want to compete at a high level on the world stage.” Further preparations ahead of the Asian championships include a four-nation tournament with Australia, Turkey and Montenegro in early July and the Stankovic Cup a month later that will pit China against Angola, Russia and New Zealand. Both tournaments will be held in China. – Agence France
