Category: Sports

(Peoples Daily)10:32, March 11, 2019

The 2022 Beijing Winter Games is striving to work out a solution to make sure win-win development between the Olympic Games and host cities, according to a legacy plan released recently.

The plan, called the Strategic Plan for the Heritage of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, aims to help host cities incorporate lasting benefits before, during and after the Games.

As a city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, Beijing has rich Olympic legacies, especially in venue and infrastructure construction, Liu Yumin, director the planning and construction department of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, said on Feb.19 when the legacy plan was released.

Beijing 2022 will make maximum use of the venues and facilities for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Liu introduced, adding that there are 13 competition and non-competition venues in Beijing, of which 11 were previously used by the 2008 Games.

An 鈥渆co-friendly event鈥?was set as the core design concept when building the Yanqing zone located on Xiaohaituo mountain in northern outskirt of Beijing, which will have five venues for alpine skiing, sleighing and luge, Liu said.

Upon completion, Yanqing Zone will be turned into a world-class ski competition center and a leisure winter sports resort for the public. Facilities of three venues in the Yanqing zone will be reused after the games, he added.

According to its post-2022 plan, the alpine skiing center will be the venue for training of the Chinese national team and other domestic and foreign professional teams, as well as for hosting international events.

The sleighing center will be opened to the public and host mass tourism activities, and Winter Olympic village will be transformed into a hot spring resort. Many ski trails will be built in Yanqing to attract more public participation.

Sustainability is given more weight by Beijing 2022, which can be revealed by its measures in ecological environmental protection and in utilization of the venues after the Games.

After collecting the suggestions of top experts, the organizing committee has formulated a set of green standards for the evaluation of winter sports venues in Beijing and Hebei.

The standards are the first of the kind in China, and some of them are even the first in the world. In addition, the competition area of the Winter Olympics will be fully powered by green energy, the first in the Olympic history.

(Xinhua)10:18, March 12, 2019

XIAMEN, China, March 11 (Xinhua) — Chinas booming running industry witnessed a seven percent increase to reach 74.6 billion yuan (about 11.10 billion US dollars), according to data released by the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) here on Monday.

According to the Chinas annual marathon report released by CAA vice president Yu Hongchen during a press conference, a total of 1,581 road running and cross-country events were held in China last year, a 43.46% increase compared to the 1,102 events in 2017. The total number of participants rose by 17.07 percent to 5.83 million, while the participants in marathon and half-marathon races rose to 1.91 million.

The total consumption boosted by the running events reached around 28.8 billion yuan and the annual output value of the industry amounted to 74.6 billion yuan, Yu said.

Yu expects the rapid growth, which is widely believed to start from the year 2011 when there were only 22 marathon races held by the CAA, to continue in the foreseeable future, and also emphasized a primary target for the CAA is to improve the quality, instead of just the quantity, of the races in 2019.

In spite of the increase in the number of the races, most of them are lack of unique characteristics and creativity in terms of race organization and runner service. In 2019 our main target will be helping the organizers in such aspects so that the sport can better live up to its potential to promote public fitness among the country, Yu said.

(Xinhua)10:03, March 13, 2019

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) — China is making every effort to be prepared for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but serious challenges are ahead, several Chinese sports officials told Xinhua here in recent interviews.

They made these comments as members attended the ongoing session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Chinas top political advisory body.

We have paid great attention to the Tokyo Olympics and will strive for good results, said Gao Zhidan, deputy director of Chinas General Administration of Sport, adding that the main task in 2019 is to compete for the best results in the qualifiers in order to earn as many berths as possible in Tokyo.

China will face tough challenges in Tokyo, added Gao, and many of them are posted by the competitive hosts.

Japan has the home advantage, Gao said. And they have greater dominance in the five newly-added sports including karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, baseball and softball, which were named by Japan to be included in the Tokyo Olympics.

Under the IOC reforms, known as Olympic Agenda 2020 launched in 2014, host cities are allowed to propose the inclusion of one or more events for their games in order to attract a local audience. The Tokyo organizers proposal was approved in August 2016.

Apart from these new additions, Japan has built its figure as a powerhouse in many traditional sports as well, Gao warned.

Japanese table tennis players have made rapid progress in recent years. Headlines went to the 15-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto when he beat Chinas Lin Gaoyuan in the 2018 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals and became the youngest player to have claimed the mens singles championship.

We shouldnt overlook Team Japan as they have invested a lot into this sport, said Wang Liqin, deputy director of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, stressing that the association has gathered a new team aimed at Tokyo. In terms of staffing, the coaches and the players are among the top players who understand table tennis best, Wang added.

We have to maintain and consolidate already-existing advantages in sports events, and to enhance athletes sense of responsibility through constant training and education, Gao said.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which will feature 339 events, will be held from July 24 – August 9, 2020.

By BaiYang (Peoples Daily Online)10:37, March 13, 2019

The preparation of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games has become a hot topic among national legislators and top political advisors during China鈥檚 ongoing 鈥?two sessions鈥? as China steps up efforts to present the world a feast of winter sports.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, inspects preparation progress of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Zhangjiakou, north China鈥檚 Hebei Province, and Beijing鈥檚 Yanqing District, January 29, 2019. (Photo by Zhang Chenlin / official website of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games)

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games, scheduled to take place from 4 to 20 February, 2022 in Beijing and its neighboring Zhangjiakou, will be the first Winter Olympic Games ever held by China.

鈥淲e divided the preparation work in five phases, and are currently going through the second one 鈥搃ndividual program planning,鈥?said Wang Yanxia, member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People鈥檚 Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), at a group meeting of the second session of the country鈥檚 top political advisory body. The preparation will move on to the third phase of testing events this year, she added.

Wang, who is also the deputy director of the Sports Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, detailed the preparations of the Games at the meeting, introducing that they are making steady progress in venue construction, personnel training, technology support, market development, meteorological guarantee, and volunteer services.

The Organizing Committee has subdivided 55 items of all preparation work into 3,158 specific tasks. So far, the venue construction has been fully started, and most of the venues will meet the requirements of the testing events the next year.

The Alpine Skiing World Cup, as the first test match for the 2022 Winter Olympics, will be held in Yanqing in February 2020, said Shen Jin, member of the CPPCC and deputy director of the Venue Planning and Construction Department of the Organising Committee. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be an arduous task as the championship is about to kick off in less than a year,鈥?Shen noted.

Shen said that the National Alpine Skiing Center is set to meet the trial event requirements by the end of October this year and all the other competition venues will be completed and ready for trial events next year.

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou High Speed Railway and Yanchong Expressway linking Yanqing District and Chongli District of Zhangjiakou are also expected to open this year, she added.

The Games Services Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games holds the launching ceremony of an intensive skiing training for medical personnel for the Beijing Winter Olympics, February 21, 2019. A medical support team was officially established at the ceremony. (Photo/the official website of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games)

The wide application of smart and intelligent technologies in the venues will be a major highlight. The National Speed Skating Oval, the only new venue built in Beijing for the event, will provide athletes with a digital system for timing and speed measurement, and provide spectators with intelligent seat guidance and analysis for real-time event.

Telecom giant and internet service provider of the Games China Unicom announced last December that it would invest over 1.5 billion yuan ($217 million) to upgrade its communicating services and build a 5G-based broadband network, in a bid to create a smart operation guarantee system, provide ultimate user experience, high-quality event services and intelligent venue operations.

Competitions are a key factor for the success of the Winter Olympic Games, and snow events are full of uncertainties due to the weathers. In order to ensure meteorological guarantee, the Organizing Committee signed an agreement with China Meteorological Administration (CMA) to set up a meteorological service center.

A chief meteorological officer was appointed and 52 weather forecasters were transferred from the CMA to establish a forecasting team. Every venue of the Games will be stationed with one full-time forecaster.

The weather forecast during the Games will be accurate to every 100 meters, which will also be updated in minutes, said Zhang Jiandong, vice mayor of Beijing and executive vice president of the Organizing Committee.

According to Zhang, also a deputy to the 13th National People鈥檚 Congress (NPC), the CMA鈥檚 meteorological forecasting team is conducting drills and tests in accordance with the requirements of the International Olympic Committee to update meteorological information of every 100 meters in every 10 minutes.

(Xinhua)13:28, March 14, 2019

The 2019 Abu Dhabi Special Olympics World Games holds the opening press conference in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), March 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

ABU DHABI, March 13 (Xinhua) — There will be 200 delegations participating in the upcoming Special Olympic Games Abu Dhabi 2019, a new Special Olympic Games record, among several others.

The organizing committee announced the news in a press conference held on Wednesday. 195 of the 200 will be participating delegations while the other five will be observers.

A half-century after the first-ever Special Olympic Games was held in Chicago in 1968, Abu Dhabi 2019 aims to host a Games of Firsts at the starting point of the next 50 years. The Special Olympic Games is also being held for the first time in the Middle East.

Over 2, 500 women will be in the game, the largest number ever. And for the first time, Saudi Arabia is sending female athletes.

As for the hosts, 320 athletes will participate for the UAE, making it the largest delegation in Abu Dhabi 2019, followed closely by Indian and American teams.

After the opening ceremony on Thursday night, 7,500 athletes in total will take part in 24 sports. The Games run until March 21st.

(Xinhua)08:27, March 18, 2019

NEW YORK, March 17 (Xinhua) — More than 200 professional and amateur Chinese Wushu practitioners from around the United States gathered to compete at Queens College in New York City on Sunday as the second New York International Wushu Championships kicked off.

The opening ceremony gave an audience of hundreds of people a brilliant hour-long Wushu show, which covered more than a dozen martial arts categories, including Taiji, Fist, Sword, Spear and Cudgel. The performers belong to various ethnic groups and range from little children to grandmasters such as Zhao Qingjian from China, who has won numerous medals in broadsword and cudgel at both national and international Wushu arenas.

Victor Wong, president of the U.S. Wushu Masters Association and founder of Sundays championships, told Xinhua that as a Chinese immigrant and Wushu practitioner, he wants to promote the Chinese Wushu culture in a more effective way by showcasing its various categories and schools through one grand competition.

He hopes that one day people would see Wushu at the Summer Olympics. The biggest dream of me and my colleagues is to help Wushu get recognized as an official Olympic Games sport, just like Taekwondo.

Sundays championships will see participants compete in nine categories including Southern Fist, Northern Fist, Wing Chun, Taiji, Sword and Cudgel, according to the organizers.

The U.S. Wushu Masters Association is a community organization consisting of Wushu experts, scholars and practitioners at all levels.

By ZhangHuizhong (Peoples Daily)10:33, March 18, 2019

Marathon is driving up development of relevant sports industries as it further expands influence in China, said a report issued by the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) in Xiamen, southeast Chinas Fujian province on Mar. 11.

China held a total of 1,581 marathons and relevant sport events (road races of over 800 participants and cross-country races of over 300 participants) in 2018, creating a new record high, according to the report.

4.3 races were held on average each day, up 43.46 percent from a year before, and the total number of participants rose by 17.07 percent to 5.83 million.

The total consumption boosted by all running events hit 28.8 billion yuan ($4.29 billion), and that generated by marathon events alone was 17.8 billion yuan.

The annual output value of the industry amounted to 74.6 billion yuan, the report said.

鈥?018 witnessed accelerated reform and development of China鈥檚 marathon events, and the country was also seeking quality improvement in addition to quantitative growth of the running events,鈥?said Yu Hongchen, director of the Athletics Administrative Center under the General Administration of Sport of China.

Yu, also vice president and secretary-general of the CAA, noted that marathon events have played an important role in promoting public health, urban tourism consumption, economic growth and popularity of cities.

In recent years, China鈥檚 marathon has entered a phase of booming development. The number of racing events held in the country kept surging, and the consumption base relevant to the sport is also enlarging.

According to CAA statistics, China held 134 marathon races in 2015, up from 51 a year before. In 2016, the CAA reported 328 registered marathon and relevant events.

The running craze, centered with marathon races, has also promoted the integrated development of relevant industries including catering, tourism, transportation, and retail business.

As it is pointed out in this year鈥檚 Chinese government work report, Fitness-for-All activities flourished over the last year. Besides, the report also raised new requirement on the country鈥檚 sports development, proposing to bring sports closer to the people, the society and the country, and carry out extensive Fitness-for-All activities.

(Xinhua)11:23, March 18, 2019

SAITAMA, Japan, March 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese star figure skater Jin Boyang took the ice for the first time at the Saitama worlds in his morning practice here on Monday.

Jin, 21, who arrived at Tokyo on Sunday afternoon with the Chinese national team, showed at the Saitama Super Arena in his scheduled practice time and looked in quite good form.

I feel good, said the two-time world bronze medallist. I am more confident now. I hope I can keep my form and perform two good programs.

Jin had been struggling for form earlier the season, but found his pace back and took a silver in the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in February.

I focused on improving my jumps and adjusting my physical conditions in recent days to prepare for the worlds, said Jin, who finished fourth at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. I hope I can give my best in the competition.

The Saitama world championships, which runs from March 18 to 24, will start competition on Wednesday.

(China Daily)14:03, March 19, 2019

Kobe Bryant and Yang Chaoyue, a member of idol group Rocket Girls 101, chat on stage during Saturdays FIBA World Cup draw ceremony in Shenzhen. (Photo/Xinhua)

Kobe Bryant reckons complacency could be Team USAs biggest enemy as it seeks to win a third successive FIBA World Cup title this year.

NBA great Bryant, who inspired his country to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, hopes the USAs latest squad of superstars dont think glory is a given at this years tournament, which will take place in China from Aug 31-Sept 15.

Its always a challenge. Thats for sure, Bryant told China Daily ahead of Saturdays World Cup draw ceremony in Shenzhen.

Make no mistake about it锛峣ts not going to be something that they show up and they play and they win. Thats just not going to happen.

As the events global ambassador, Bryant, who retired in 2016, carried out the draw with Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao Ming and American pop singer Jason Derulo.

Team USA was drawn in Group E with Turkey, the Czech Republic and Japan, with all those matches to be played in Shanghai.

Bryant believes rising standards in the international game mean a defeat is not inconceivable for the USA, which should have reigning NBA MVP James Harden among its ranks after the Houston Rockets ace declared his intention to play at the tournament.

Nowadays teams not only believe that they can beat USA, but they feel like they should, said the 18-time NBA All Star. Imagine saying (beat USA) in 1992鈥?nobody would say it. That told you how much the game has grown internationally.

After enthralling the world with jaw-dropping performances at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the US Dream Team lost its luster at the turn of the century after failing to lift any trophies at three world championships (1998-2006) and the 2004 Athens Games.

Desperate to restore the countrys dominance on the court, a group of A-list stars led by Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade signed up for a shot at redemption at the 2008 Olympics.

And Bryant reckons the USAs current crop could do well to model themselves on that vintage squad.

It was just about the education from my part for them to really respect every single opponent, Bryant said of his role on the Redeem Team, which beat Spain in the Beijing final.

The biggest thing for us was to put aside some arrogance that we are bigger, stronger and faster.

You cant look at them and say, OK, lets beat them by 30鈥?I am like, Oh no, thats not going to work.

Bryant feels assured, though, that Team USA has the right head coach at the helm in Gregg Popovich, of the San Antonio Spurs, who has taken over from Bryants old mentor, Mike Krzyzewski.

Coach Pop is going to want the players with certain styles. He understands what it means to build a team that can compete at this level internationally.

Speaking about the draw, Popovich said: Well face three well-coached teams and a variety of playing styles.

Selecting and preparing the USA team in a short amount of time will be a challenge and repeating as gold medalists for a third straight FIBA World Cup is something everyone associated with the USA team will embrace.

The evolving international game and the leagues widening talent search has resulted in a surge of foreign players in the NBA, where 108 non-Americans from a record-tying 42 countries and regions were named on opening-night rosters this season.

The likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Luka Doncic of Slovenia are leading lights in the league and now the World Cup is set to benefit, according to two former NBA stars who attended Saturdays draw.

Weve seen over the past years that the gap has been closed, said Boris Diaw, a 2014 NBA champion with the Phoenix Suns and a World Cup bronze-medal winner with France in the same year.

The US is still the best team out there but the gap is not as much as it used to be. The rest of the worlds teams believe they can compete as well.

Former Utah Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko, now the commissioner of the Russian Basketball Federation, echoed that sentiment.

The US has the biggest chance, but it all comes down to the one game and in that one game anything can happen, he said.

Other teams, like Spain and France, have good potential to beat the US.

(Xinhua)08:11, March 20, 2019

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of a leading group overseeing the Beijing 2022 preparations, presides over a high-level meeting attended by officials from relevant government departments, along with the heads of Beijing Municipality and neighboring Hebei Province, in Beijing, capital of China, March 19, 2019.

BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng has urged the Beijing 2022 organizers to stay committed to delivering a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Olympic Winter Games, as preparations start to shift focus from venue construction to the management and operation of competition centers.

Han, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and head of a leading group overseeing the Beijing 2022 preparations, made the remarks on Tuesday at a high-level meeting attended by officials from relevant government departments, along with the heads of Beijing Municipality and neighboring Hebei Province.

With less than three years to go before the 2022 Winter Olympics open, the seven-year preparation period has passed its halfway point. Han stressed that venue construction must meet Olympic standards and be completed on time so that pre-tournament test events can take place as scheduled.

Beijing 2022 announced last year that the first official Olympic test event will be held at the National Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing District in February 2020.

Han urged Beijing 2022 organizers to make full use of the test events to improve the management and operation of venues. We should try to fix any problems encountered during the test events and then create an efficient model of venue operation, he said.

Han also called for more effort to be made in areas including accommodation, catering, transport, security and medical services.

In order to host an Olympics as pure and clean as snow, Han reiterated that the Games budget should be carefully analyzed and reviewed.

China had set a target of encouraging 300 million of the countrys citizens to take up winter sports. In addition, the country aims to have at least one competitor in each of the 109 disciplines at Beijing 2022.

To achieve such goals, Han called on relevant departments to further promote ice and snow sports among the public, and to beef up efforts in the competition preparations.