Watching the London Olympics in Beijing
In 2008, China staged a lavish opening ceremony that stunned the world with its precision and pyrotechnics. Four years later, Chinese impressions of the far quirkier London Games may surprise you.
Posts from the ‘Sports Regime’ Category
Jun 23
Where Are The Evil Empires Among China’s Sports Teams?
On March 8, 1983, in Orlando, Florida, former United States President Ronald Reagan gave a speech where he was first recorded to have said the phrase "evil empire". At that time tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were at an all time high and it seemed that the Cold War would continue well on into the next millennium.
Action Sports And Sport Participation in China
Thoughtful China has a very interesting video discussion lately on action sports and sports participation in China that really worth checking out.
In the video, Harvey Davis, vice president at ESPN’s Events Management Group, reckons that "these [action] sports are now recognized in China as real sports, with real committees and real organizations reporting up to the top government organizations in Beijing" and concluded that as "one of the biggest things for the growth of sport in China." With that comes, as in the case of Shanghainese BMX rider Shen Jian and his friends, a clash of interest between government organization and athletes/brands.
At 2011 X Games Asia, China’s Best Talents Were Missing (pt2/2)
This is the 2nd part of the post on 2011 Kia X Games Asia. Read the 1st part here.
“It is what it is. I’m going back to play for a while, just to take it in.” Shen Jian squeezed a smile at me and then walked back onto the stage. Only less than 10 minutes left for him to “play.”
Match-fixing Impossible and Groundless
Deputy sports minister Xiao Tian (肖天) lost his temper on Thursday when denying the accusation and addressing the fact that a pair of divers with obviously smaller splash did not win.
“You can’t say it had been fucking fixed, it’s fucking fake, just because you lost,” Xiao told a news conference on Thursday, which was widely reported by local media.
How China’s Transfer Rules Made Footballers Untransferable
I was overly optimistic towards the future of Chinese football players. Though this year saw a few of them found jobs outside the country, almost all footballers still find their rights trampled by the country's backward transfer rules.
As the transfer window reopened by Chinese FA on June 25, 121 players from 29 football clubs have been transfer listed and 13 others are listed as available for loan. A majority of them, if not all, are fringe players who haven't played first-team football for a long time.
Mar 29
Aiming Vancouver, China Won Gold in 2009 World Women’s Curling Championship
China women's curling team defeated Sweden by 8 : 6 in 2009 World Women's Curling Championship in South Korea, winning the first-ever gold in the tournament. The team, skipped by 25-year-old Wang Bingyu, continued their 11 game winning streak in the final, knocking off Swedish player Anette Norberg, the Olympic champion in Turin. The women's curling team finished second in last years' World Championship. They are now expected to win gold at Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Feb 19
Harbin Winter Universiade Cold-shouldered by Chinese
Of about 25 friends we talked to yesterday, three Canadians included, only one person actually knew that the Harbin Winter Universiade was coming.
"I won't watch any of the games, as I don't play those sports," said Liu Hongchao, a 25-year-old university graduate who plays football in his free time. "No one here even watches Universiade, let alone the winter games." Liu's view is probably shared by many Chinese sports editors, as we couldn't find coverage of the Winter Universiade on the front covers of all the sports publications and the Internet portals in the country so far. Winter sports seem too far away from most of Chinese people.
Chinese Super League Unbanned by CCTV
China's FA told media on Feb. 13 that CCTV, the country's main TV broadcaster, will continue to air Chinese Super League (CSL) in 2009, after a 3-match ban since the 28 round of the 2008 Season. In an interview with a Chinese sports journal last November , Jiang Heping, the head of CCTV's sports channel accused players of lacking "professional ethics", and decided to cut all reporting related with the league since then
Go West! Chinese Footballers Can Now Transfer
This Chinese New Year must have been a magical experience for Zhou Haibin,a 23-year-old midfielder, who now finds himself joyfully as a PSV Eindhoven player. Before joining the Dutch side as a free transfer, the Chinese footballer has been playing at Shandong Luneng FC for 10 years.
While Zhou's move was cheered by some, it definitely left Shandong Luneng FC and Chinese Football Association stunned. The Shandong club, who clumsily appealed to CFA trying to keep the player, was disappointed greatly after the association released a statement last week about their stand. Below's our translation:
