Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday paid a morale-boosting visit to domestic athletes busy training for the upcoming Olympic Games, saying he was looking forward to their good performances.

President Hu Jintao talks with a Chinese gymnast preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games at a training facility in Beijing, Wednesday, July 23, 2008. [Xinhua]

With 16 days to go until the Games opening ceremony, Hu, accompanied by Vice President Xi Jinping, went to the stadiums of the Training Bureau of the General Administration of Sport in southern Beijing in the morning. He watched training programs of athletes in gymnastics artistic, synchronized swimming, table tennis, weightlifting, basketball and volleyball.

"Your moves are clear-cut and very elegant. I wish you success at the Games," he told 16-year-old He Kexin after she performed a set of routines with perfect technique on the uneven bars at the gymnastics stadium. The teenager won two World Cup titles earlier this year.

Hu expressed his hope that the gymnasts and coaches would train hard with high efficiency to improve their competition skills.

"Keep a cool state of mind and achieve outstanding results at the Games," he told them.

The training bureau boasts 15 stadiums where athletic teams in 11 events from 14 countries were training for the Games.