The US Olympic Committee (USOC) will send an approximately 600-strong team to next year's Olympic Games, the largest Olympic team ever in the US history, Steven M. Roush, chief of sport performance for the USOC, disclosed in Beijing on Wednesday.

 

 

The six US Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls of the US delegation pose for a group photo.

 

Roush said that the US squad has finished second in terms of gold medals won at all the world champions in 2007, a result that doesn't satisfy USOC. So far, 40 percent of this year's champions have ended.

 

Roush arrived in Beijing on August 1 for a five-day tour with the US Goodwill Tour group. Among the group, there were six US Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls that include Gao Jun (in table tennis), Howard Bach (in badminton), Lindsay Pian (in archery), Donny Popvich (in BMX cycling), Iris Zimmerman (in fencing) and Erin Popovich (in Paralympic swimming).

 

 

Three-time table tennis Olympian Gao Jun

 

(BOCOG August 3, 2007)