Samaranch liking what he sees from China so far, he says

China's athletes represent their country in a respectable way, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, executive board member of the International Olympic Committee, told China Daily in an exclusive interview in London.

Samaranch, the 52-year-old son of the former president of the IOC, also described the Chinese Olympic team as being "very strong", which is borne out by the fact it currently leads the gold medals tally.

"You have very good athletes in all sports, and swimming is no exception. It was going to come sooner or later - it's coming now," he said of China's success in the Olympic pool.