The events were rescheduled to cater for US television audiences and caused outrage among the world's top competitors.

However both China's swimming and gymnastics teams are confident they will adapt to the new morning schedule and will design new training programmes for the 2007 season.

Zhang Yadong, head coach of the national team, believed his squad would quickly master the change.

"We plan to turn our watches back. We will get up earlier, eat earlier and train earlier, just like when we adjust for the time differences when we are competing in other countries," he said. "I don't think it is something that would limit our athletes.

"We are not surprised by the decision. It's what we did not wish, but we have expected such changes and now we have to face the reality."

IOC member Hein Verbruggen confirmed at a press conference last Thursday that the swimming and part of the gymnastics finals at the Beijing Games would take place in the morning, to win over US television audiences.

US television rights holder NBC successfully lobbied the IOC for the finals to coincide with peak evening viewing hours in the United States, however the rescheduling clashed with the athletes' body clocks. Olympians usually perform better at night as most of the swimming world records testify. They have all been made at night in previous Games.

Zhang said his team had yet to adopt the new scheduling but revealed his swimmers were ready to change training times and their everyday lives.

"We will launch the new plan from next year and testing the new schedule at the national championships next autumn."

Women's butterfly swimmer Zhou Yafei, who broke two Asian records over 50 meters and 100 meters at the national championships in September, echoed Zhang's point of view.

"No matter what the schedule is, we will be ready to swim our best. The most important thing is to improve ourselves," she said.

The gymnastics team is also ready, especially after wrapping up eight out of 14 gold medals at the World Championships in Aarhus of Denmark this month.

The triple gold medallist Yang Wei said time was enough for him to make a shift on his form.

"Of course it is a very bad decision as to athletes as we seldom had any intense training in the morning before," said Yang. "But it's OK for me, at least, it is the same for everyone. I have nearly two-year time to get myself well-prepared in the morning."

The new scheduling has less impact on gymnasts than the swimmers as only four event finals - men's and women's team and all-round, have been moved to morning section.

However, the athletes, who have only three morning training a week before and sleep in rooms on rest of the week, now opt to get up at 6:30am and have exercise starting at 8:00am everyday.

In addition, the regular in-team competition has been held in the morning since August.

"At very beginning, I found it hard to concentrate in the morning, I was always sleepy," said Cheng Fei, women's triple gold winner at the worlds. "But now I am refreshed and energized despite getting up that early.

"The changes won't hamper my performance, not at all."

Many Olympic champions and the world leading swimmers have criticised the move including Ian Thorpe of Australia, Roland Schoeman of South Africa, Kosuke Kitajima from Japan, Laure Manaudou of France and Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands. "It will be an unfair competition," Zhang responsed when first knew the decision. "I don't see how the Olympic spirit can be seen in this decision, I doubt it is."

Only once in Olympic history - during the 1988 Seoul Games - has swimming, gymnastics and athletics finals been held in the morning.