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Thousands of Chinese citizens are off to Athens to throw their support behind China's Olympic team. The first and largest group has just departed from Beijing.

Dressed in bright red tee shirts, emblazoned with the words "China will win, China will win, China will win", these hundred-plus people are leaving for Athens.

Sponsored by a domestic private sportswear company, ordinary fans given the chance to go abroad were excited about their journey.

An Olympic fan said: "I am so happy and excited, beyond any words. It's my first time to go abroad and it is to Athens. I will cheer for the Chinese athletes, I believe they will do a great job!"

More than 2,000 Chinese visitors are expected to go to Athens for the Games, the largest number ever for the country. With such a strong back-up team, China's sports authorities are confident enough to spell out their goals.

Wu Shouzhang, Vice Chairman of Chinese Olympic Committee, said: "Our goal is to get over 20 gold metals, at least 20. Our athletes have improved a lot this year, and more importantly, they will have so many people from the homeland to cheer them up."

The trip is not only exciting for sports fans, but also for businesspeople and workers in the tourism sector. China Travel International, or CTI, was the biggest winner before the games.

The company successfully organized travel to Athens for about 2,000 visitors. Their initial investment of over 20 million Yuan has already been returned.

Guo Ming, Overseas Travel Center General Manager of China Travel International, said: "The sale of tickets and the whole package has been very good. I can't tell you how much our profits are, but I can say there is a great need in the market. It is as optimistic as our expectation. I believe there will be a great need in the future as more people are going abroad for different kinds of sporting events.