Olympic race hits home straight.

The 26 players called up to Japan's Olympic training camp last Friday cannot afford to start thinking about being measured for their Sydney suits just yet, as there's still a long way to go before final selection.

Of the 26, four were over-age players: Goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki, defender Ryuzo Morioka, midfielder Toshihiro Hattori and striker Akinori Nishizawa.

One of these will have to miss out, as teams qualifying for the 16-nation finals are allowed only three players over the age of 23 in the 18-strong squad.

Conspicuous by his absence from the 26 was Hidetoshi Nakata, who is with his AS Roma teammates at a preseason training camp in Austria until July 31, the day the Japanese players meet up in Yokohama for their three-day get-together.

So with three over-age players, plus Nakata, who is very keen to play in his second Olympics, there's only room for 14 of the other 22 players called up …