Category: Sports

By ShangKaiyuan (Peoples Daily)09:26, March 06, 2019

The Internet Society of China (ISC) announced that it will establish an e-sports commission at a meeting held at Tsinghua University on March 2.

The tasks of the e-sports commission were detailed at the meeting, which was held together with an e-sports summit themed with 鈥渆-sports and smart economy鈥?

Guests show their signatures and handprints at the ISC meeting, March 2, 2019. (Photo by Xu Zijian from Xinhua News Agency)

The commission will assist competent authorities to enhance management of the e-sports industry, promote the combination of e-sports and national education strategies, guide favorable and sustainable development of e-sports industry in China, and prepare for smart city construction.

It will also integrate industrial resources, organize relevant enterprises and institutions to carry out e-sports activities, and publish industrial data and surveys.

Other tasks of the commission are conducting domestic and international industrial communication and cooperation, participating in global e-sports policy making and setting international standards and specifications.

鈥淓njoying sound development in China, e-sports are creating high economic benefits,鈥?said Song Mao鈥檈n, deputy secretary-general of the ISC.

Now the commercialization and internationalization of the industry have been put on the agenda, to accelerate the 鈥渂ringing in鈥?and 鈥済oing global鈥?process of the industry, Song added.

At Asian Games held in Jakarta last year, e-sports for the first time had a presence at a major sporting event. Team China took the first-ever gold medal of e-sports at the event, delivering an outstanding performance by winning a total of 2 gold medals and one silver medal at the games.

Visitors experience e-sports products at China Cyber Games Summit, May 31, 2018. (Photo by Fan Jiashan from People鈥檚 Daily Online)

According to the 2018 China E-sports Development Report, China had 250 million e-sports gamers in 2017, more than half of the global total. China鈥檚 e-sports market value reached 5 billion yuan ($746 million), and was still rising.

In 2016, China鈥檚 Ministry of Education listed e-sports and management as a college major, marking the official inclusion of the training of professional e-sports personnel in the country鈥檚 higher education.

32.6 percent of Chinese gaming enthusiasts said they were willing to take jobs in the e-sports industry, and nearly a quarter of parents voiced support for their children in this regard.

(Xinhua)13:39, March 06, 2019

SHIJIAZHUANG, March 6 (Xinhua) — All the projects of Beijing Winter Games Zhangjiakou zone to be completed by the end of next August, said Wu Weidong, mayor of Zhangjiakou city.

Located some 200km northwest of Beijing, Zhangjiakou will host snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon competitions at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The 76 projects include venues and infrastructure construction, 67 of which have been launched, Wu added.

The high-speed railway linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou will open this year, and the expressway between Beijings Yanqing and Zhangjiakous Chongli, the two competition zones of the 2022 Winter Olympics, will also go into operation this year.

(Xinhua)18:15, March 06, 2019

Ning Zetao of Henan reacts after the mens 100m freestyle swimming final at 13th Chinese National Games in north Chinas Tianjin Municipality, Sept. 4, 2017. Ning Zetao claimed the title with 47.92 seconds. (Xinhua/Ding Xu)

BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) — Chinas star swimmer Ning Zetao, who made history to win the mens 100m freestyle at the 2015 Kazan Swimming World Championships, announced retirement on his Sina Weibo account here on Wednesday.

Ning celebrated his 26th birthday Wednesday on Weibo, twitter-like microblog, saying to say goodbye to swimming pool and start my new life. The way to success is never easy, push yourself and do not settle.

Ning jumped to fame at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, where he won four freestyle gold medals and made a perfect international debut. And then the Henan province native made a breakthrough victory at the 2015 Kazan worlds. His 100m free gold medal marked a milestone achievement in the Chinese swimming history, as prior to Nings victory, no Asian swimmer had ever advanced to the final or won medals in this event at the World Championships.

After Kazan, Ning became famous with his fans going crazy for his good results and handsome physique. By now He owns 7.9 million fans in Sina Weibo.

However his competitiveness had been questioned as it seemed two many commercial activities prevented him from concentration on training and competition.

He failed to make the 100m final at the 2016 Rio Games and he was later expelled from the national squad for violating relevant commercial promotion rules.

Ning was not qualified for the 2017 World Championships and the 2018 Asiad in Indonesia.

(Xinhua)08:35, March 07, 2019

SHIJIAZHUANG, March 7 (Xinhua) — Beijing 2022 co-host city Zhangjiakou will develop into a green digital economy city to implement the concept of Green Olympics as it has signed a cooperation agreement with Chinas e-commerce giant Alibaba recently, local authorities said Thursday.

Before Beijing won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, Zhangjiakou was a backward city in terms of industry development. Iron and steel was its mainstay.

Zhangjiakou is transforming economic structure during its preparation process for Green Olympics. Big data industry is expected to be one of the mainstays.

According to the agreement, the two sides will achieve in-depth cooperation in Tmall supermarket settlement, big data equipment manufacturing, smart town, ant financial services as well as poverty alleviation and government services.

Meanwhile, Alibaba will provide sports service for Zhangjiakou, including consulting and planning, introduction of international sports events, organization of mass sports events and operation of stadiums.

Located some 200km northwest of Beijing, Zhangjiakou will host snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined and biathlon competitions at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

(Xinhua)09:31, March 07, 2019

BIRMINGHAM, Britain, March 6 (Xinhua) — Six-time champion Lin Dan of China suffered a shocked first round defeat at the All England Open badminton championships here on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old Lin lost to Japans Kana Tsuneyama 21-19, 14-21, 7-21, his first opening-round defeat since he made his debut in 2002 at the worlds oldest badminton tournament.

I find it more and more difficult to focus my concentration late in the first round. After my concentration was interrupted, it will be difficult to fight back, said the two-time Olympic champion who is bidding to win a place in next years Tokyo Olympics.

Every player is fighting very hard to win more points because of the coming Olympics. I will play more tournaments for more ranking points, Lin added.

Defending champion Shi Yuqi, who upset Lin in last years final, beat Denmarks Anders Antonsen 21-17, 21-16 in 45 minutes to reach the second round.

I hope to win the championship again this year, Shi said. There is certainly some pressure as the defending champion but I will turn the pressure into motivating strength.

I feel more confident after the first match.

Third seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei also made a shock exit as he was beaten by Chinas Huang Yuxiang 21-14, 16-21, 24-22.

In the womens competition, third seed Chen Yufei breezed past Chinese teammate Han Yue 21-10, 21-14 and second seed Nozomi Okuhara defeated Gregoria Mariska Tungjung of Indonesia 21-17, 21-16.

(Xinhua)16:42, March 07, 2019

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese swimmer Wang Jianjiahe clocked 15 minutes and 46.69 seconds to win the womens 1,500m freestyle of the 2019 Pro Swim Series Des Moines stop on Wednesday.

By winning the title, the 16-year-old also broke the Chinese and Asian records. Both records were previously held by Wangs Chinese teammate, Li Bingjie, who came in third in the event with a time of 16:19.71. Li held the records at 15:52.87.

Wangs result is the second best this season, only one second behind American swimmer Katie Ledecky, who clocked 15:45.59 at the first stop of the Pro Series in Knoxville in January.

(Xinhua)10:27, March 09, 2019

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) — Olympic and world champion Shi Tingmao suffered a rare upset in her favorite 3m springboard while Cao Yuan grabbed his third title at the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series 2019 here on Friday.

Shi, who remained unbeaten since 2013, both at home and abroad, scored 1.5 points less than long-time friend and new synchro partner Wang Han in the first dives, and had the gap gone further little by little after each round.

Shi eventually collected 367.00 points for the silver, 10.40 behind winner Wang. Jennifer Abel of Canada finished third with 332.70.

Its a pity that I did not perform to my best today. Every dive was not as clean as usual. And I was upset, but I wanted to congratulate Wang Han. She did a pretty job, Shi said. I am not afraid of failure, I need to learn from it since I havent tasted the bitterness for many years.

It was not too bad to lose to Wang. Its too hard for anyone not to make mistakes, and its better to take it earlier than later. At least I have a long way to fight for, added Shi.

Wang said she has a special feeling of the Water Cube. I cherish every chance at the Water Cube as it was one of the Beijing Olympic venues. I was happy with the gold medal but not satisfied with my performance. I still need to improve on my techniques, said Wang, the mixed synchro world champion.

Two-time Olympic champion Cao who won the 10m platform synchro in London 2012 and the 3m springboard in Rio 2016, sealed the victory in the mens 3m springboard with six stable dives for a winning total 541.95 points.

I was lucky to take my third gold. I just had six smooth dives, no perfect ones and no big mistakes. I enjoyed my pace of competition, said Cao, who won two synchro titles in the 3m springboard and 10m platform on Thursday.

World champion Xie Siyi conceded to the silver due to his poor fourth and sixth dives for 527.90. Jack Laugher of Britain took the bronze with 457.55, edging Rommel Pacheco Marrufo of Mexico by 0.45.

I was disappointed, especially the fifth dive 109C that scored only 45.60 points. I did not show my training form, Laugher said. Its great seeing Cao doing so well. I competed before Cao in the final, so I could watch his dives. Both Cao and Xie are my respected divers and I am happy competing with them. I will get stronger next stop in Canada.

Chinese new pair Chang Yani/Yang Hao ruled the mixed 3m springboard for 315.21, beating Francois Imbeau-Dulac/Jennifer Abel of Canada (304.08) and Thomas Daley/Grace Reid of Britain (294.39) to second and third respectively.

China wrapped up all seven gold medals on offer during first two days at the second leg of the FINA/CNSG Diving World Series 2019.

(Xinhua)11:15, March 09, 2019

ASTANA, March 9 (Xinhua) — China beat Armenia 2.5-1.5 here on Friday for their fourth straight win at the World Womens Chess Team Championship.

Sharing a 4-0 win-loss record in the 10-team round-robin tournament, China and Russia will clash in the fifth round on Saturday.

Russia is a great team. It will be a potential title decider, and we will just try our best, said China coach Yu Shaoteng.

Ding Yixin beat Ghukasyan Siranush for the winning point while Former world champion Tan Zhongyi, Huang Qian and Tei Tingjie tied with Elina Danielian, Lilit Mkrtchian and Anna M. Sargsyan respectively.

It was a tough match, we are happy with the results, added Yu.

In the mens section, China tied with India 2-2 to end a two-match losing streak. Yu Yangyi lost to Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Bu Xiangzhi beat Chithambaram Vr. Aravindh while Ding Liren and Wei Yi earned 0.5 points each against B. Adhiban and S.P. Sethuraman.

The Russian mens team tied with England to lead the standings with seven points from three victories and a draw, followed by India, the United States and England on six points. The Chinese men, the winners from the 43rd Chess Olympiad in 2018, were currently in the seventh place with three points.

(Xinhua)08:51, March 11, 2019

BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) — China vows to participate in all the 109 disciplines of Beijing Winter Games and win gold medals for a record high, said Gou Zhongwen, director of Chinas General Administration of Sport, in an interview at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during the ongoing two sessions.

The last time a host nation participated in all available disciplines at a Winter Olympics was the U.S. at Salt Lake City 2002, when only 78 disciplines were available.

According to regulations, China is eligible for direct access of 61 events, while the remaining 48 events require points or rankings to qualify.

The best results Chinese delegation achieved are five gold medals, two silver medals and four bronze medals in Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. In the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, China only won nine medals including one gold medal.

Lacking an established tradition of winter sports, China had had no presence in one-third of Winter Games disciplines by the time the country won the bid to host the 2022 Games, while one third had been competitive and one third had far lagged behind the leading countries.

All the national training teams covering 109 events of the Games were set up and 4,000 chosen from 20,000 people took part in training in 2018, said Gou, adding that China has promoted cooperation with 15 countries including Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and more than 80 foreign coaches have been introduced.

Wu Dajing, the mens 500m short track speed skating Olympic champion, won the mens 500m sliver on Saturday at 2019 Short Track Speed Skating World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

He told Xinhua that he is eager to challenge himself over longer distances.

Everything we are going to do is for the 2022 Beijing Olympics. My dream is to win golds at home, the 24-year-old said. I want to make breakthroughs not only in the 500 meters, but also in the 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters relay and 2,000 meters mixed relay.

It is quite challenging to participate in all disciplines of the Games. But we have confidence to make breakthroughs in 2022, said Li Yingchuan, a CPPCC National committee member and deputy director of Chinas General Administration of Sport.

(Xinhua)08:56, March 11, 2019

Chinas Chen Yufei reacts during the womens singles final match against Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2019 in Birmingham, Britain on March 10, 2019. Chen Yufei won 2-0 to claim the title. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

BIRMINGHAM, England, March 10 (Xinhua) — Third seed Chen Yufei dashed Tai Tzu Yings hope of winning a hat-trick of womens singles titles as she beat the two-time defending champion in straight sets at the All England Open badminton championships here on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Chen, who had lost all their 11 previous meetings, pulled ahead 16-9 in the first set but Tai managed to narrow the gap to 17-19. Chen settled the first set with two more points with 21-17.

The second set was an see-saw play although Chen enjoyed the upper hand most of the time. Tai fought back from 16-12 down to level the score at 17-17 before Chen took advantage of Tais mistakes to seal the victory 21-17.

Chinas Chen Yufei (R) and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei react during the awarding ceremony for womens singles at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2019 in Birmingham, Britain on March 10, 2019. Chen Yufei won the final 2-0 to claim the title. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

As she won the final point Chen fell to the court at Arena Birmingham to celebrate the victory.

This is the most important victory in my career, Chen said. I am very, very excited. I need to thank everybody in the womens team of China. Without the team work, this title is never possible.

It was a tough match against Tai. Even when I was leading by a big margin, she never gave up. I told myself to play my best and just focused on my own game.

This victory will surely boost my confidence and I will try to find how I won the title and hopefully I can do better in the future.

Chen is the first player from team China to win the womens singles final since Wang Shixian lifted the trophy in 2014.

Chens victory is also the second from team China this year following Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifans win in the womens doubles final.

The two 21-year-olds came from behind from one set down and saved two match points in the second set to beat third seed Japanese pair Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara 18-21, 22-20, 21-11.

After the game, Chen said: Were so happy. Jia added: Its just fantastic to win the title this year and we beat really strong opponents through all the earlier matches – it just gave us so much motivation and confidence for future performances.