Hosts China crushed Britain 10-0 in the opening game of the world softball championship on Sunday to launch the first test event for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After a slick opening ceremony at the purpose-built Fengtai softball field, China got the best possible start to their world championship campaign and underlined their determination to break the American stranglehold on Olympic gold.
The 2008 Olympic softball tournament will be the last for at least eight years. Softball first featured as a medal sport at the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996 but last year was removed from the list of events for London 2012.
A large and enthusiastic crowd of nearly 10,000 packed into the larger of the two impressive stadiums on a sunny Sunday morning in the south of Beijing to watch the opening ceremony and cheer the home side to victory.
China, whose women took silver at the Atlanta Games and were fourth in Athens in 2004, have brought a young side to the 16-team championship under the guidance of coach Michael Bastian but were still far too strong for Britain.
Bastian has been looking to add more power to a Chinese game that in the past has relied on good pitching and speed in the short game.
"I saw our team play with a lot of emotion today," said Bastian.
"All the Chinese fans in the stands helped us go to another level. I hope we can continue to use the home advantage in the rest of this tournament."
The 10-day championship also acts as a qualifying tournament for the 2008 Olympics, with the top four teams securing a return visit to Beijing in two year's time.
China qualify automatically as hosts and Bastian is well aware that expectations will be high in 2008. "When I came here to China my goal was hopefully to build the best team in the world," he said.
Craig Montvidas, coach of a Britain team with more modest ambitions, thinks Bastian might succeed.
"I definitely they think they can challenge in 2008, what they need most of all is experience and that's what they're getting," he said.
"They're not there yet but they definitely have the potential."