Both the men's and women's national rugby sevens teams are preparing to contend for the final berth at the Olympics next month.

They will have to win the repechage tournament in Monaco at the end of the month for the trip to Paris and are among 12 entries battling for the last spots.

The men's team are in the same pool with Canada, Great Britain and Uganda, while the women's squad face Poland, Czech Republic and Mexico in pool play.

The men's assistant coach, Zhu Jing, said the most important thing is for the team to fight as one on the field.

He said even though other countries are traditionally considered stronger in rugby sevens, Asians, like Chinese, also have their own advantages.

"In terms of potential, actually Chinese people have quite an advantage. Because we have speed and agility. When we play we are actually better in these attributes compared to players from Europe or the Americas," Zhu told Hong Kong reporters.

The coach said he's looking forward to seeing good performances from a couple of players. He said Shan Changshun and the captain, Li Haitao, have good physique and awareness on the pitch.

Li, for his part, said the team was focusing on improving their fitness ahead of the do-or-die tournament, as well as working on tactical adjustments.

"Making the Olympics for sure is every athlete's ultimate dream. We'll do our best yeah, do our best to get that ticket to Paris," he said.

"We're all in good shape, training with great enthusiasm. Also, in everyday life we're all very united as a team."

Li said the players were having extra sessions in the weight room, and the sports science team has helped their performance.

He added he thinks the team's biggest foes are themselves, and all they need to do is to give it their best shot.