Yao Back in Beijing, China Wins 8th Straight
Thursday, 26th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Yao Ming returned to Beijing Wednesday and will report to practice Friday, according to several media reports. The Chinese men's national team got its second win over a Lithuanian team (this BOCOG report calls them Lithuania's "C team") the day before. Yi Jianlian had 26 points and five rebounds in the 110-92 win in Shenzhen.It's China's eighth win in a row, but the last three came over Croatia's B team, and the three before that came against a University of Memphis team that was missing its top three players. China won the first game over Lithuania "C" by a score of 87-70. Wang Zhizhi, Li Nan and Zhang Qingpeng hit three three-pointers apiece.
China, coached by Lithuanian Jonas Kazlauskas, has not actually decided its roster for the Olympics.
Tags: basketball, Li Nan, national team, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhang Qingpeng
Yao's Bed Up for Auction
Thursday, 26th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Olympics organizer BOCOG has authorized China Beijing Equity Exchange to run the auction, which China Daily says also will include "furniture and fixtures, timepieces, light bulbs and tubes, and a variety of sport equipment." Tubes? Light bulbs? That may sound ridiculous, but China doesn't have the market cornered on online auctions for pedestrian items that have crossed paths with sports stars. An apple core that Tiger Woods tossed aside at the U.S. Open was fetching $36,000 USD on eBay last time we checked.
Bids for the Olympics auction are currently capped at 1 billion yuan ($145.7 million USD), and China Beijing Equity Exchange president Xiong Yan says that discussions are underway to include some plots of land that are home to temporary venues (such as Wukesong Baseball Stadium).
Tags: auction, BOCOG, Yao Ming
The Ups and Downs of Sports Broadcast in China
Thursday, 26th June 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Looks like I spoke too soon in my excitement yesterday about watching the U.S. Open on CCTV's Golf and Tennis Channel. The playoff between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods was broadcast this morning. I started watching as the guys were teeing off at hole 13. Right after Tiger birdied 18 to force a sudden death round, CCTV cut to some tape of Phil Mickelson's chipping practice. We waited optimistically, thinking that they'd cut back to the 91st hole in a minute or two. Instead, up next was a report from the European Open, followed by Wimbledon news.This wasn't the first time I've seen CCTV cut off a major sporting event just before an exciting overtime finish. It is, pardon the pun, par for the course with the network. CCTV adheres to a strict broadcast schedule, and if your basketball game, golf tournament or tennis match isn't over in time, tough luck. It was about 10:55 when the U.S. Open cut off this morning. Sorry, sports fans—we interrupt this great moment in sports to bring you news of the early rounds of a two-week tennis tournament. I have heard that this exact issue is what has prevented Major League Baseball from securing airtime in China. Baseball games, like golf tournaments, aren't played against a clock and their run times are very inconsistent.
The CCTV Golf and Tennis Channel resumed its U.S. Open re-broadcast at 11:15... at the 12th hole. ESPN's video highlights are looking better all the time.
Tags: CCTV, golf, Tiger Woods, US Open