Thanks to help from the psychology squad at the 2004 Athens Games, China finished second to the United States on the medal tally with 32 golds, its best performance to date. Now the whole world is waiting to see if it can eclipse main rivals the US and Russia to take the lead on home turf this summer.

"For Chinese athletes, the home advantage is obvious at the 2008 Beijing Games, but on the flip side, they are in such close proximity to their families and friends that they feel much pressure to succeed," Zhang warned.

Some, like Olympic and world hurdles champion Liu Xiang, are willing to train overseas in order to avoid precisely this.

In recent years, a lot of money has gone into sports psychology studies to safeguard athletes' mental health.

"The investment is unprecedented as the sports authorities know how greatly the mental factor will influence athletes' performance," Zhang said.

Zhang's sports psychology lab at the China Institute of Sport Science is armed with world-class equipment. It offers counseling to 18 national teams, including techniques such as somato-sensory music regulation, a new acoustic therapy to help ease stress.

The lab also hosts lectures and workshops for coaches who play a key role in athletes' training and competition.

"Coaches are the most important people for athletes and they should help athletes and their parents deal with the stress and pressure," Zhang said.

"Only through the coaches can our words work on the athletes. Fortunately, more and more Chinese coaches realize the importance of mental health.

(China Daily February 26, 2008)