Yao Ming [Xinhua]

Yao Ming, center of Chinese Men's Basketball Team said, "Yes, I've taken part in the Olympic Games three times. In the Sydney Games, I remember the day when I entered the Olympic village was my 20th birthday. I was excited. There were many players of the Golden Age players at that time, and it was my first Olympic Games so I felt no pressure at all. For the whole thing, I took it easy and played happily. The 2004 Athens Games was another story for me. The Olympics returned to its origin. I felt pressure. I said some wrong words and some right words. Yet the result was OK. As for the Beijing Games this time, it's very special. How many people in the world could take part in the Olympics, and how many of them could take part in the Games in their home country? When I entered the field holding the national flag, I heard cheers from the stands like a roaring ocean and rolling mountains. At that moment I felt I was at home. And when we competed in the games in the Wukesong Gymnasium, I could feel the energy transmitted from the audience to the floor, then to my feet and finally to my heart. Then my heart would never stop pumping, just like an engine."

(CCTV August 25, 2008)