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USA Dishes China its First Loss in Basketball Test Tournament

Friday, 25th April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

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The United States women's national basketball team gave China its first loss in the Good Luck Beijing Women's Basketball International Invitational, beating the home team by a score of 86 to 61. The USA's Lisa Leslie led all scorers with 26 points and Sylvia Fowles notched a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds. China's high scorer was Bian Lan, with 14.

Thanks to fast break buckets, unchallenged second shot opportunities and skillful post moves from Leslie and Fowles, the United States scored a lot of its points in the paint and kept its two-point field goal shooting percentage at a high 59 percent.

China played like a well-coached team made up of talented athletes who have played basketball since they were 10 to 12 years old. They made their cuts and set their screens, shot 50 percent from the three-point line and made 75 percent of their free throws. But the US team looked like a group of women who have been dribbling as long as they have been walking. They easily broke China's press and put on a clinic on how to execute low-post moves. They dominated the boards, 48 to 31, and also had three players combine for six blocks.

"We should have done better although we are not as good as them in strength and talent," China's Chen Xiaoli said after the game.

If the USA revealed weaknesses, they would be free throw shooting (64 percent) and three-point shooting (3-for-11).

The Chinese fans continued to show the sportsmanship that they have throughout the tournament, cheering not just for their team but also for particularly impressive plays by the opponent. They have, however, picked up the practice of harassing the free throw shooter with a chorus of boos.

For American fans, it was the first test event that gave them a chance to see some athletes who are household names in the United States—veterans like Leslie and Kara Lawson and rising stars like soon-to-be WNBA rookies Fowles and Candice Wiggins.

"I'm from Connecticut and getting tickets to women's basketball games there is next to impossible," said one Beijing resident. A friend of hers, a fellow expat from Minnesota, said she especially enjoyed the chance to see Team USA compete, since she'd been unable to secure tickets to the Olympic tournament.

The Chinese and American fans get one more look at their teams this Saturday, when the two go head-to-head one more time for the tournament championship.

"We know it's going to be a big game with China the day after tomorrow, so we are really focused today," said USA head coach Anne Donovan.

Image: Good Luck Beijing

Tags: Anne Donovan, basketball, Bian Lan, China, Good Luck Beijing, Lisa Leslie, national team, Sylvia Fowles, USA

Badminton Match Fixing in 2004 Olympics

Monday, 24th March 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Zhou (right) looks on as teammate Zhang enjoys her gold medal.
Zhou (right) looks on as teammate Zhang enjoys her gold medal.
According to an AFP report yesterday: China's head badminton coach, Li Yongbao, acknowledged to CCTV (China Central Television) over the weekend that in the 2004 Olympics, he instructed Zhou Mi to let her teammate Zhang Ning win their head-to-head match. He felt that Zhang had a better chance to win in the final; Zhang went on to win gold. Zhou has moved to Hong Kong where she hopes to qualify for its Olympic team.

Coach Li reportedly told CCTV: "We told Zhou Mi not to work too hard and let Zhang into the final," and "It shows our patriotism and in fact I am proud of it."

As for Zhou's transfer to the Hong Kong delegation, Li painted her as a turncoat in this statement last year to the China Daily: "She should know who [China] cultivated her into a top player. She should know the seriousness of her decision. If she chooses to play for another nationality, she will harm national interests."

Image: AFP

Tags: badminton, China, Li Yongbao, match-fixing, Zhang Ning, Zhou Mi

Welcome to China Sports Today!

Wednesday, 20th February 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

China Sports Today is your link to the vast and growing world of sports in China. Whether you are a journalist looking for the names of China's top table tennis (ping pong) players, a rugby player looking for a team to play with in Shanghai or a sports fan coming to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing next August, you will soon be able to find the answers to your questions here.

Over the coming weeks, you will see our content grow a lot. Every day, we will bring you news from China's sports and sports marketing world. You will soon see a China sports calendar with everything from marathons and road races you can compete in, to China Basketball Association games you can go and watch. You will also see guides to various sports in China, from primers on China's badminton and diving success to histories of the efforts of the NBA, NFL and NHL in China.

Watch these pages for coverage of the various Good Luck Beijing Test Events for the 2008 Olympics, and the skinny on China's efforts to top the medal standings as it hosts the 2008 games.

Tags: china, launch, sports, welcome