NBA greats Horry and Mullin to play Chengdu charity game
Tuesday, 13th April 2010 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
Editor's note: the following story was originally posted on our sister site in Sichuan, GoChengdoo.
In collaboration with the Chengdu Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, the Chengdu Charity Federation, and the Red Cross, the NBA will bring legends "Big Shot Bob" Robert Horry and Chris Mullin, as well as NBA Development League players to Sichuan from April 16 to 18.
The event is billed as "part of the NBA's continued commitment to support rebuilding efforts in the earthquake stricken Sichuan Province."
The NBA Cares charity event includes two exhibition games in which seven-time NBA champion Horry and former Olympic Dream Team member Mullin will play alongside the Beijing Aoshen team, including former Laker Sun Yue, against the D-League players.
To round out the entertainment, the New Jersey Nets dance team and the team mascot, will "provide fans with an authentic NBA game experience ... designed to maximize fans [sic] enjoyment and experience at the game." One hundred students and orphans from the Dujiangyan Qingcheng Mountain Advanced Secondary School will be invited to attend the exhibition games.
Exhibition games
Saturday, April, 17, 7:25 p.m. at the Shuangliu Sports Center. Tickets: RMB 80 to 380.
Sunday, April 18, 5:30 p.m. at the Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium. Tickets: RMB50 to 380
Tickets for the two exhibition games can be purhcased online at Piao or by calling 400-610-3721 or 66510500/600 or
66510588/555/566.
Tags: Chengdu, Chris Mullin, NBA, Robert Horry, Sichuan
Zheng Jie returns to Sichuan to visit earthquake zone
Wednesday, 15th April 2009 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Chinese tennis star and Chengdu native Zheng Jie (郑洁) returned to Sichuan yesterday to participate in charity events in the area affected by last year's earthquake on May 12, which killed at least 69,000.Zheng, currently China's top female tennis player, was playing in Italy when the quake struck. Shortly afterward, Zheng became the darling of international tennis when she upset the world number one Ana Ivanovic en route to the semifinals at Wimbledon, where she lost to Serena Williams.
Zheng was the first Chinese player - male or female – to make it to the Wimbledon semis. She was lauded at home in China for donating all of her winnings at Wimbledon, totaling more than 1 million yuan ($146,334), to the earthquake relief effort. She also built a playground for students in the hard-hit city of Dujiangyan.
Zheng will be playing in Europe on May 12, so she decided to make an appearance just prior to the quake's anniversary.
"I will play matches in Europe on May 12 this year, so I will visit the stricken area a few days earlier this time," Zheng told Chinese media. "As a Sichuan native, I'm very happy to contribute to my hometown as much as possible."
This time around, Zheng was scheduled to visit primary school students of Hongbai Town in Shifang city and donate tennis equipment supplied by Chinese sporting goods company Anta, which sponsors her.
Zheng's international success has been a driving force behind a surge of interest in tennis in China. China is gradually building more of an infrastructure to promote tennis at the grassroots level, including the recently announced China Open Rating Tour (CRT), an amateur league which will host competitions in seven cities nationwide, including Chengdu.
Zheng, who is currently ranked 16th in the world, said her current goal is to crack the top 15. She is currently preparing to compete in the Fed Cup and French Open in May.
Tags: Chengdu, CRT, Sichuan, tennis, Wimbledon, Zheng Jie
Underdog Sichuan Relay Team Wins at Bird's Nest
Tuesday, 27th May 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The 4X100 final was supposed to be a run-off between the Chinese national team and Japan, and toward the end of the third leg it looked like that was exactly what would happen. But the Chinese team fumbled the last baton handoff, leaving Japan in the lead with Guangdong (province) in second. In the final leg, though, Yin Hualong from Sichuan overtook the Japanese front runner from two meters behind, winning the race for Sichuan with a time of 39.45 seconds.
It was an unexpected and uplifting victory for the team from the province that has seen so much devastation since the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake. Yin reportedly pointed to the name of his province on his jersey and proudly declared "I'm from Sichuan!" at the finish.
Tags: Good Luck Beijing, Liu Xiang, Sichuan
Sichuan Sports Infrastructure Hit, Athletes Relocating
Friday, 23rd May 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The 8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Sichuan May 12 has seriously affected athletic facilities in Sichuan, says Xinhua. Wenchuan's new complex at Aba Normal Institute—including a gymnasium, a swimming pool and a stadium—have been destroyed. A 3,000-seat gymnasium in Jiangyou city has also been leveled. In the Chengdu area, the Zhang Shan Training Center and the Land Sports Training School have been designated "hazardous buildings."Sichuan–based athletes on both Olympic and provincial teams are now being relocated to other parts of China. Track and field athletes will stay in Beijing after this weekend's Good Luck Beijing test event; gymnasts and wushu athletes will train in Guangxi; provincial wrestling, swimming, diving and women's soccer teams are headed to Shandong; some volleyball teams are headed to Yunnan. Shanghai and Guizhou will be the training sites for the synchronized swim team and Guizhou will take table tennis players.
While no specific reports have come in, it seems inevitable that many athletes have lost loved ones and/or seen major damage to their family homes.
Tags: Sichuan, Wenchuan earthquake