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Around the Web: Leader calls Chinese kids unfit, Liu Xiang stumbles, underage gymnasts

Monday, 8th March 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Sports leader: Chinese kids need to shape up

Chinese children need to get in better shape, with nothing less than national security at stake. So said Beijing Sports University president Yang Huan, addressing the annual all-government meeting, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress, which recently got underway in Beijng. In an effort to funnel more funds to youth sports and fitness, Yang raised concern that China's young people lag behind other nations'. He pointed out one rival in particular: "If there was another war against Japan, would the younger Chinese be able to fight the Japanese one-on-one?" (Reuters: Chinese youth accused of not being fit

Liu Xiang a star attraction at political meet, not so hot at track meet

Several athletes serve on the CPPCC, which lasts about another week. Among them is hurdler Liu Xiang. Liu missed last year's meeting because he was in the United States rehabilitating from foot surgery. After a promising return to action last fall, where he lost in a photo finish at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, Liu's comeback seems to be stumbling a bit. He came in fourth at a recent 60-meter hurdle race in Shanghai against all Chinese runners. The former world record holder insists that he just slowed down at the end to protect his foot for the upcoming world championships in Doha, Qatar, starting March 12. But this quote from a China Daily story doesn't sound promising: "If I want to push myself, I can surely do it, but it makes me feel uncomfortable in the foot."

The world will soon find out just what condition he is in, as he joins his first major international competition since pulling out of the Olympics due to injury. Also going to Qatar are the USA's Terrence Trammell and Dayron Robles of Cuba, the current world record holder and the man Liu has said he expects to win in Doha.

To see the awkward, disappointing way in which local media cover Liu at the CPPCC, cue this China Daily video

Chinese gymnast age fraud: Throwback edition

Age fraud hit China's gymnastics program again last week, but this time it focused on Dong Fangxiao, who won a bronze medal in the team event at the Sydney Games in 2000. The International Gymnastics Federation has recommended that the International Olympic Committee take back her medal (Reuters, saying they believe she was not 16 years old at the time. The Chinese Gymnastics Association said it intends to appeal, and that there is "insufficient evidence that Dong Fangxiao has age problems when participating in competition in 1999 and 2000."

Tags: 110m hurdles, Dong Fangxiao, gymnastics, Liu Xiang

Liu Xiang's done, just can't say it yet

Friday, 27th February 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (1)

First we heard that hurdler Liu Xiang (刘翔） would not likely recover from injury in time for world championships in August, setting instead a target of returning for the Shanghai Grand Prix in September. Now, Team Liu seems to be prepping fans for the possibility that the one-time world record holder and former Olympic champion—whose failure to compete was China's biggest disappointment last August—might soon hang up his spikes for good.

"If I get injured again, I will say goodbye to the sport," Liu said to state newspaper China Daily. "I'm even considering what to in the worst-case scenario (of getting injured again) so I don't feel too much pressure."

Why does an athlete start talking about his possible retirement more than six months ahead of his next scheduled competition? Because he knows he will never return to form, he's planning to retire this year, and he's trying to manage the unrealistic expectations of 1.3 billion people.

For our money, Liu will announce his retirement some time this year, in what is sure to be one of the biggest sports stories in China in 2009 (though it will barely be a blip on the international sports radar).

Who will take up where Liu leaves off in the track and field event that China watches most closely? The People's Daily says that Shi Dongpeng, China's number two in the event with a personal best of 13.19 seconds, doesn't have what it takes. And at 25, he is a little old to groom for the 2012 Olympics. Instead, the People's Daily says eyes are on 21-year-old Yin Jing and 19-year-old Xie Wenjun.

Tags: 110m hurdles, athletics, Liu Xiang, track and field

Inside National Stadium for the Liu Xiang-less race

Friday, 22nd August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

I got extremely lucky about a month before the games started, when a friend of a friend sold me a pair of tickets at face value for last night's athletics (track and field) event at National Stadium in Beijing, aka the Bird's Nest.

It was the night that Liu Xiang would have defended his 110-meter hurdles gold from 2004. It was supposed to be a showdown between Liu—who had been elevated to superhuman status in China over the past four years—and world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba, along with the USA's Terrence Trammell. But only Robles would run, as both Liu and Trammell had pulled out with injuries.

After Liu left the stadium rather than run his preliminary heat Monday, scores of Chinese fans reportedly headed for the exits. Given that China now had no man in the race, and no medal contenders in any of the evening's finals, attendance looked strong Thursday night, with few empty seats visible in the tk-seat stadium. The bargain basement 200-yuan tickets being sold by scalpers outside might have had something to do with it.

I took my seat in the third tier. It was my first time inside the Bird's Nest, and I have good news to report: Even up near the ceiling, the view of the track and the field is pretty good. The nosebleeds in the stadium are much better than the ones in the nearby Water Cube.

Throughout the course of the evening, it became clear that Chinese fans appreciate the stellar sprint performance that Jamaica has had this year. After Chinese athletes, it was the runners in yellow and green who got the loudest cheers.

Despite the fact that Liu was absent, it seemed that the crowd considered his race the marquee event of the evening. After it ended, the stadium began to empty quickly. Have the Chinese actually become fans of the 110-meter hurdles race or had they been holding out hope that Liu Xiang would somehow show up? Maybe they heard about the Nike conspiracy theory and thought Jacques Rogge and the IOC would step in and give Liu a spot in the final.

Though it still seemed to be the moment that many of the spectators had come to see, when Robles crossed the finish line in 12.93 seconds, he was met with the quietest applause of any of the night's gold medalists. And my enthusiastic cheers for USA runners David Payne and David Oliver, who came in second and third, were met with long looks by my neighbors.

It must have been a bitter night for Liu Xiang fans. For Team USA, it was bittersweet. America's high moment of the evening was its gold-silver-bronze sweep of the men's 400 meters. But the lows were lower than a middle school high jump bar—both the US men and women dropped the baton in their 4 X 100 meters relay preliminary heats, ending the medal hopes of these heavily favored teams. When the men dropped their baton, it seemed to give some Chinese fans a sense of relief—I distinctly heard ripples of laughter in the stadium when the moment was replayed on the jumbotron.

Tags: 110m hurdles, athletics, Beijing Olympics, Bird's Nest, Liu Xiang, National Stadium, Olympics, track and field