The six U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls of the U.S. delegation pose for a group photo.

(BEIJING, August 2) -- The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) will send an approximately 600-strong team to next year's Olympic Games, the largest Olympic team ever in the U.S. history, Steven M. Roush, chief of sport performance for the USOC, disclosed here on Wednesday.

Roush said that the US squad has finished second in terms of gold medals won at all the world champions in 2007, a result that doesn't satisfy USOC. So far, 40 percent of this year's champions have ended.

Roush arrived in Beijing on August 1 for a five-day tour with the U.S. Goodwill Tour group. Among the group, there were six U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls that include Gao Jun (in table tennis), Howard Bach (in badminton), Lindsay Pian (in archery), Donny Popvich (in BMX cycling), Iris Zimmerman (in fencing) and Erin Popovich (in Paralympic swimming).

They will visit the construction site of the national stadium tomorrow.

Three-time table tennis Olympian Gao Jun