KEY POINTS:
If any of New Zealand's gold medal contenders think the expectations of four million people is an unbearable pressure, they should spare a thought for Liu Xiang.
The Chinese 110m hurdler is the reigning Olympic and world champion and to say his countrymen and women expect a repeat performance is an understatement.
As if the fans aren't enough to handle, he also has the small problem of a dynamic opponent.
Liu, who has been battling injuries, had world record snatched from him by Cuban Dayron Robles.
It's no easier for basketball giant Yao Ming.
The Houston Rockets superstar has been troubled by a stress fracture and his team's prospects aren't flash.
Another Chinese team with an uphill battle is the women's gymnastics squad. Members are determined to overcome the disappointment of Athens when they won "only" one gold when they were picked to dominate.
Head coach Huang Yubin says the pressure of having 1.3 billion people expecting them to do well is intense.
"We're nervous because we know we have to succeed and failure is unacceptable."
Another gymnast, Yang Wei, is hoping to convert his dominance in the sport during the last four years into a gold in the individual competition.
Other Chinese athletes expected to shine are women marathon runner Zhou Chunxiu, winner of last year's London Marathon, and men's 50km walker Si Tianfeng, winner of the Olympic test event at the Bird's Nest stadium last year.
Last year, China had world champions in diving, badminton, boxing, judo, gymnastics, sailing, shooting, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling, and, of course, table tennis.
Between them, they will be looking to better the record 32 golds they won in Athens.
To do better will see China propelled to the top of the medal table, overhauling arch rivals the United States.
