Keeping track of the sports world in China
Another article from the New York Times - this one on the challenge of harnessing the immense interest that the Chinese have for the Olympics in the marketing campaigns that will emerge over the next nine months before next year’s Olympics.
For Olympics, China’s marketers are showing their pride (New York Times)
Redemption. Learning. Becoming a better human being through competition - even after an athlete has strayed from the path of fair competition, realized his or her mistakes, and decided to re-enter sport as a clean athlete as an example to others.
It sounds pie-in-the-sky and perhaps horribly naive, considering the doping scandals of the last four years - BALCO, U.S. baseball, the Tour de France, Marion Jones, and all the rest. But when somebody stands up and says “I made a mistake - and now I want to be one of the good guys,” it’s high time to listen, and support that vision.
Today’s New York Times includes the story of British cyclist David Millar, who has walked this path. Caught doping with EPO during an illustrious cycling career that included stage wins at the Tour de France, he now rides for the Slipstream/Chipotle team, which has taken perhaps the strongest anti-doping stance any professional team has ever taken, monitoring its athletes 24/7 and getting them to buy into the idea that a clean athlete is the only kind of athlete who will be able to save cycling after the revelations of doping in the past few years, including at this year’s Tour, that have pushed the sport to the brink.
Disgraced rider and new U.S. team take the lead against doping (New York Times)
During the Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai I was amazed by the amount of coverage the event was getting - in countries like New Zealand and Jamaica. The U.S. press didn’t seem to pay a great deal of attention to the event. This morning I happened upon one of the nicest commentaries about what sport can do for society written as part of Nicholas Kristof’s blog at the New York Times - a really lovely piece written by a law professor and China expert who is closely involved with the Special Olympics and saw how this event influenced China, especially regarding the country’s attitudes towards people with disabilities. If you didn’t see it earlier this month when it was originally published, it’s a treat to read. Enjoy.
Special Olympics in China (New York Times - Nicholas Kristof’s blog with guest commentary by Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and William Alford at Harvard Law School)
…The news just keeps on coming.
Olympics:
Youth movement spurs China’s Olympic hopes (CNN.com)
NBA:
In China, the NBA’s Bucks vs. Rockets translates to Yi vs. Yao (International Herald Tribune)
Golf:
Mickelson leads in China (Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette)
Mickelson leads by 2 in Shanghai event (Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal)
Wushu:
World wushu championship opens in Beijing (ChinaView.cn)
Chinese Ethnic Games:
Modern Guangzhou hosts ethnic games with all heart (ChinaView.cn)
When I was working at the Athens Olympics, we watched some of the most amazing competitions in half-empty arenas in the evenings after our day shifts ended. It was astounding to watch the women’s all-around gymnastics final in an arena where I could see not just one or two empty seats, but whole sections. Athens just wasn’t fired up enough about the Games to fill the seats.
To put it mildly, that will not be a problem in Beijing.
The ticket-buying process originally set out by BOCOG - first come, first served, over the Internet - literally melted down this week as the entire Internet-using population of the country evidently logged on to the site all at the same time for their tickets. That’s led to the decision to distribute the domestic allotment of tickets via a lottery system.
Heavy demand leads to Olympic ticket lottery (AP, via Sports Illustrated)
From today’s China Daily: word from IOC president Jacques Rogge that only “clean” athletes will be considered for receiving a medal upgrade from Marion Jones’ vacated competition results.
Rogge: Only ‘clean’ athletes will get Marion Jones’ medals (China Daily)
Nice article this morning from the China Daily on Zhang Na, who took up golf when she couldn’t pass the university entrance exam in China. After starring in the Japanese LPGA tour, she’s now looking to cross the ocean to play in the United States.
Zhang at the top of her game (China Daily)
And back on the home front, the Houston Rockets defeated the 2007 NBA champs, the San Antonio Spurs, 89-81, last night. I’m sorry to have missed this one - it sounded like an absolute thrill of a game. Yao Ming scored a season-high 28 points and 13 rebounds, and someone by the name of Bonzi Wells came off the bench and pulled off Houston’s other double-double of the night (14 points, 15 boards). Seriously, though, it’s so great to see Wells fit and happy and playing well after his career looked so far down last year as he sat on the Rockets’ bench all year. He’s going to be a major contributor this year. The Rockets improve to 4-1 on the season - nothing to write home about quite yet, but what a nice start to the year for them.
Box Score: Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs, November 6
Yao, Rockets hand Spurs first loss (Associated Press, via the NBA)
Best news out of USA women’s volleyball since 2002…at least as far as it concerns world powerhouse and archrival Brazil. The U.S. women upset Brazil for the first time since, well, 2002, and pulled a Boston Red Sox on them to boot, going down 0-2 in the best-of-five match before rallying to win the final three games. Team USA is still undefeated in the FIVB World Cup, the first of three Olympic qualifying tournaments - and only Team Italy can match that record. There are three Olympic berths up for grabs in this event - and Team USA is doing everything right so far in making sure they come home with one of them.
For readers of Chinese, Team USA coach Jenny Lang Ping, a Chinese volleyball legend and star of the 1984 Olympic-gold-medal-winning Chinese team, writes a blog on Chinese web portal Sohu.com. Great reading to get the latest scoop on how things are going with Team USA in Japan.
The Financial Times has its own website dedicated to news on all things related to the Beijing Olympics.