What’s with China’s National Games?
For those of you not familiar, China's National Games is held every four years in the country since 1975, when the Cultural Revolution was coming to an end. This year the 11th National Games will be held in Shandong Province, from October 16th to 28th. Every four years, the best players in national teams go back to their hometowns to win glory for their provincial teams.
There are 46 teams participating this time: 4 municipality teams, 22 provincial teams, 5 autonomous region teams and the People's Liberation Army team. The PLA is a big player every time. Also on the list are some sports association teams for certain industries such as aviation, forestry, communication, etc., who participate just for the sake of participating. The Games can usually tell you who will compete in the next Olympics. So if you're thinking about the London 2012, better keep an eye on these new Chinese champions.
