(Beijing, February 2) As the first sports event staged at the National Aquatics Center, or "Water Cube", since its opening toward the end of January 2008, the "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 Swimming China Open attracted a large numer of journalists from both at home and abroad, including those from Germany, Japan and Australia.

In the mixed zone for interviews between athletes and the media, this reporter met a woman journalist of German who speaks Chinese and works for ARD German Radio in China. She is Dr. Astrid Freyeisen and she even has a Chinese name "Shu Xin".

"The venue is amazing and they (the German swimmers competing at the venue) are all quite satisfied with this building and the pool." Dr. Shu thought highly of "Water Cube". She also made special mention of the mixed zone, which she considered to be of world class.

According to Shu Xin, the German swimming team had planned to make their final preparations for the Beijing Olympics in China but failed to do so for some unknown reasons, and so they would head for Japan instead.

As a former swimmer and rower, Shu Xin felt difficult to tell the difference between the training methods adopted by Chinese and German athletes. German swimmers usually train in their respective clubs for most of the time, she said, and would finally get together for altitude training. "It is probably due to cultural diversity," she noted. "The intensified training may be feasible in China, but it might not be suitable for Westerners. I can't tell which is better."

On the Olympic prospects for the German swimming team at Beijing 2008, Shu Xin seemed even more cautious, "I have no idea. They used to earn many gold medals at the European Championships two years ago, but failed to bring out their best at the recent World Championships. Personally I wish they could win as many golds as possible, but who knows?"

Talking about sports in her country, Shu Xin said as rowing is a traditional sport in Germany it is quite possible for German rowers to win the eight oras with coxswain, but for swimming, no one could predict what would happen.