TIANJIN, China, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese all-around gymnast Yang Wei skipped the 2008 World Cup here on Wednesday due to injury, leaving Chen Yichong to assume the task of winning the rings.

    Yang who strained his shoulders in the warm-up training, said his injury is not so severe and he can get well in a short term.

    Huang Yubin, head coach of the Chinese gymnastics team, said "it's natural to protect players from injuries when the Beijing Olympic Games approaches. And it's the decision of Chinese gymnastics team to let Yang withdraw from the competition."

    According to the rules of the FIG World Cup, only two players of each team can apply for each individual event, which means Chen becomes the only hope for the Chinese team to win the gold medal of rings.