China's 2010 winter Olympians: Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, pairs figure skating
Today ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Zhao and Shen on the cover of SI China's 2010 Olympic issue, with the headline "Skating toward Vancouver"
The couple who, like many of China's winter Olympians, grew up in Harbin, came out of retirement last May. They proceeded to win three Grand Prix titles in the past year.
In a recent Reuters story, Shen says, "This is not our best chance. It is just our last chance, a last chance at the Olympics."
Olympic experience
Nagano, 1998: Fifth place
Salt Lake City 2002: bronze
Turin 2006: bronze
Other international experience: World champions in 2002, 2003, 2007
When to watch them compete: 4:30 p.m. EST (5:30 a.m. Beijing time), Sunday February 14--Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year and Day 1 of the pairs figure skating competition
Reuters: Last chance for Chinese figure skating pair
Tags: China's 2010 winter Olympians, figure skating, Shen and Zhao, winter Olympics
China volleyball idol brings it back home
Friday, 5th February 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Evergrande women's volleyball club celebrates its 12-0 season
Full disclosure: CST editor Maggie Rauch was hired to handle public relations for the Evergrande-USA Volleyball Challenge.
On February 2, the U.S. women's volleyball national training team lost to the Evergrande volleyball club, 3-0, in a match at Guangzhou Gymnasium. The team, coached by Hugh McCutcheon, who won gold with the US men's team in 2008, faced "Jenny" Lang Ping, the 1984 gold medalist for China who led the US women's team to a silver in Beijing.
It was a tough loss for the U.S. team, which dropped the middle set 25-12, but it was mostly made up of new players, and winning a volleyball match was not the trip's only purpose.
Before the game, the US team spent five days training and facing intense media interest in a country that fell in love with volleyball after its women's team won Olympic gold in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. A dinner at the US consul general's private residence and a big Chinese banquet with top volleyball officials were also on the team's itinerary.
Guangzhou's U.S. Consul General, Brian Goldbeck, praised the event for promoting friendly ties. With relations between the United States and China strained of late (need I mention the Internet censorship debate, furor over arms sales to Taiwan, President Obama's plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, and the dispute over the RMB's valuation?) this past week was a good time for a little sports diplomacy. And volleyball is a fitting sport to serve this purpose, as the US and China women's teams have a healthy rivalry that's about 30 years old, the same age as diplomatic ties between the two nations.
USA Volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon talks with Chinese media
The match followed a successful 12-0 season for the Evergrande team, which moves from Division B to Division A of the Anta China Women's Volleyball League. Evergrande Real Estate Group founded the team in the fall of 2009, investing 20 million yuan (about $3 million). It managed to lure one of China's most recognized sports figures, Lang Ping, over from her home in Southern California to coach the team.
The presence of Lang and the financial backing of Evergrande allowed the team to bring on a trio of national team players from China's 2008 Olympic bronze medal-winning team—Feng Kun, Zhou Suhong and Yang Hao. Two of America's best—Nicole Davis and Christa Harmotto—rounded out a squad that dominated the league.
The Evergrande team is the first of its kind in China, as the others are all controlled by state sports administrations. Its games aired on prime time national television, significantly raising the profile of volleyball, already a popular sport in China. The buzz around Lang (nicknamed the "Iron Hammer" during her playing days) revealed big hopes for the growth of the league and development of the sport in China. At press conferences for the event, she frequently deflected questions about herself as a "savior" of the sport in China.
Lang said that for the level of play to improve and energy around the league to grow, more international players would be needed. "When Nicole and Christa get on the court, the whole team atmosphere changes," she said of her two American players. "There is more passion. Chinese volleyball needs more international players. The different styles of play would invigorate the game here." She referenced the international nature of the world's top league in Italy, where she won a championship with only one Italian player on her team.
With the state sports administrations so heavily involved in the league, it's unlikely that Lang's vision of a truly international Chinese league will be realized soon. But she pointed out that in the Chinese Basketball Association, the presence of just two foreign players on each team has helped generate interest.
Related:
SCMP: Foreign players the answer if China wants best league (subscription required—free trial)
China Daily: Guangdong side urged to build up reserves
Tags: Christa Harmotto, Evergrande volleyball, Feng Kun, Hengda volleyball, Hugh McCutcheon, Nicole Davis, volleyball, Yang Hao, Zhou Suhong
Marbury's debut: Angry fans and a blown save
Sunday, 31st January 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (4)
UPDATE: The "journalist friend" mentioned below is Anthony Tao, who was in Taiyuan on assignment for Deadspin. He wrote and reported The Lone Wolf in China, along with a photo gallery.Stephon Marbury just finished his first game in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Here are a few quick observations:
+ According to a journalist friend who was at the game, Shanxi fans were not happy with the referees, and not shy about showing their disgust. They threw lighters and shouted "Hei shao" (black whistle), accusing the officials of taking bribes.
+ Was the refereeing actually bad? I wouldn't know because only the last few minutes of the game were broadcast on CCTV-5. The national sports channel stuck to its regularly scheduled programming, a home game for the Bayi Rockets, the People's Liberation Army team led by Wang Zhizhi (first Chinese player in the NBA). You don't mess with the PLA's airtime.
+ Marbury clearly was not informed of his role on the team. With 22 seconds to go and down one point, he dished the ball from the top of the key to a man just above the baseline who didn't have much of a scoring opportunity. The play ended up in free throws, which the Shanxi shooter split to tie the game. A Marbury foul at the other end, followed by a made free throw, put Dongguan New Century up 102-101. With 5 seconds left and down one point, Marbury brought the ball up and dished to forward Maurice Taylor for... wait for it... the three! Psst: Stephon, your job was just to drive and score or get fouled. And Mr. Taylor, you had no excuse for being so far from the basket.
+ Shanxi team huddles during timeouts looked chaotic. Coaches spent more time talking to, and apparently arguing with, each other than they did talking to the players.
+ I've never seen a CBA gymnasium so packed. Less than 50 percent attendance seems to be the norm, but Taiyuan had a full house for Marbury's debut.
+ Apparently, even with a sellout crowd, Chinese gyms are still uncomfortably cold. Most fans wore heavy winter coats.
+ The bottom line: Marbury played 28 minutes, had 15 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls, plus two blown chances to be the savior in a 1-point loss.
Tags: CBA, Maurice Taylor, NBA, Shanxi Zhongyu, Stephon Marbury, Taiyuan
The Starbury has landed. Will it take off?
Thursday, 28th January 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Stephon Marbury at Taiyuan Airport, Shanxi, China
From the looks of this photo, taken at the Taiyuan airport, Marbury is counting up the stacks of cash he can make selling Starbury shoes in China. I wish him the best, but color me skeptical on whether he will stick out the culture shock he'll encounter from the minute he steps outside that airport and gets his first lungful of Shanxi's coal-heavy air. Interviewed for the Wall Street Journal, Bruce O'Neil, president of the U.S. Basketball Academy says: "If he lasts 10 days, I'll be amazed. The culture shock is tremendous." (That WSJ story is a must read if you're interested in this saga, with details about the team, city and arena).
There's no guarantee that Starburys will sell in China, either. He's reportedly putting out a special edition with the characters for Shanxi (山西）and Marbury (马布里）embossed on the side. That's a smart move, and I could see interest in that first edition as a collector's item. But he needs to sell a lot of shoes, and can a Shanxi shoe have staying power in big markets like Beijing and Shanghai? And I have yet to see a distribution plan. Where is he going to sell these shoes? Carrefour? Kiosks outside the Li Ning and Nike stores? There's no Dick's Sporting Goods, no Sports Authority, in China. The sportswear distribution is dominated by brand-name stores, and there are already a handful of homegrown brands that offer shoes near his $15 (100 RMB) price point. And those aren't the shoes that people are wearing to play basketball.
Hopefully Marbury has people working on all this—despite some of his antics, the point guard from Coney Island has shown some business sense in the past. It should at least be fun to watch.
Marbury landing at airport image: CQNews
WSJ: An NBA Problem Child Packs His Baggage for China
Tags: basketball, CBA, NBA, Shanxi Zhongyu, Stephon Marbury
An all-China Australian Open final? Making history and a case for reform
Thursday, 28th January 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
Li Na
Li Na and Zheng Jie were two players who took up the Chinese Tennis Association on an offer in 2008 (after the Olympics) to take greater control of their training and keep more of their prize money. The tradeoff was giving up some of the support and security offered by the CTA. Less than two years after this experiment began, Li Na and Zheng Jie are opening the 2010 tennis season by becoming the first pair of Chinese players to make it to the singles final at a Grand Slam (they were also the first pair to the quarterfinals). Li Na took down Venus Williams in her quarterfinal, and Zheng beat Maria Kirilenko.
These two didn't come out of nowhere, and it's not the first major success for China's female tennis stars. Zheng and her partner Zi Yan won the doubles final at the Australian Open in 2006, and Zheng reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2008. But coming just one season after both players took control of their own careers, it supports Li's argument last year that such freedom should be extended to other sports. "It is very important for us to have the right to choose. I really mean it," she said last spring, according to an AFP report.
Li Na's semi against Serena Williams is live right now, and Zheng Jie's semi against Justine Henin will take place Friday morning. And in keeping the footwear theme in this week's posts, it should be noted that Zheng Jie is wearing Chinese brand Anta shoes and gear. Li Na is still with Nike.
Related: Zhang Shuai and the future of Chinese tennis
Li Na image: Xunying.com
Tags: Anta, Australian Open, Li Na, Nike, state sports system, tennis, Zheng Jie
Ultimate frisbee tournament to return to Kunming
Wednesday, 27th January 2010 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
By Dan Siekman at GoKunming
The second annual Kunming Hat ultimate frisbee tournament will be held on the weekend of March 6 and 7. Last year's tournament drew more than 80 players from around Kunming, China, and the world for a weekend of playing disc and having fun.
This year the Kunming Ultimate Frisbee Club will host a bigger and better event at new fields near Huangtupo (黄土坡).
In ultimate frisbee parlance, a hat tournament means that competitors enter as individuals rather than teams. When competitors sign up, they rank their abilities according to a number of criteria, helping organizers to create several mixed gender teams of similar ability for two days of tournament competition.
The organizers encourage any ultimate players or anybody who would like to learn the sport to come to Kunming for the tournament and for the Friday and Saturday night parties that are the usual accompaniment of ultimate tournaments.
More information about schedule, registration fee, accommodation, and parties can be found at the Kunming Ultimate website.
More information about the sport of ultimate frisbee can be found at whatisultimate.com or the Ultimate Players Association
Tags: Kunming, Kunming Hat, ultimate frisbee
Gotta be the shoes: Phil Jackson blames Peak for Artest's slump
Tuesday, 26th January 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The question has crossed my mind more than once after watching a commercial featuring an NBA player pitching Chinese-made basketball shoes: How often does he really wear them? Are they hurting his performance?Now Phil Jackson is asking that question, too. Well, he's not asking it so much as answering it. Jackson recently spoke to the LA Times about Ron Artest, who wears Peak brand basketball shoes, and suggested that Peak may be to blame for the small forward's recent aches and pains:
"I've called his shoes concrete boots for about the last month," Jackson said. "Those shoes look like they are made for the Hudson River. But he stays with them and he gets his feet worked on. But he does not move really quickly. He looks like he's clogging around out there."
Shane Battier (Houston Rockets) and Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) also wear Peak. Here's a commercial they did together and one featuring Battier alone. I've never tried Peaks, but my personal experience with another Chinese basketball shoe had me running back to Nike with aching knees.
Tags: Jason Kidd, NBA, Peak, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, sports marketing
Can China's hottest sportswear brand go global?
Tuesday, 26th January 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
Yelena Isinbayeva with Li Ning, Olympic gold medallist (1984) and founder/CEO of China's top sportswear company.
Li Ning may have surpassed Adidas to become the number two sportswear brand in China, AdAge says, on the strength of 32.4 percent revenue growth in the first half of 2009. In 2008, it opened a design center in Portland. In 2009, it opened a concept store there as well. Along with new stores in Hong Kong and Singapore, and the hiring of more foreign staff in the Beijing headquarters, the Portland activity seems to indicate more interest in international business, and business practices.
If you have spent the last several months in Beijing, it's evident that Li Ning has recently put more into advertising than Adidas or Nike have, with decidedly more ads on television and in public places like subway stations.
Madden's piece highlights some interesting numbers: Li Ning cut ad spending 37 percent in 2009, compared to 75 percent and 65 percent for Nike and Adidas; Li Ning cornered 14.2 percent of the Chinese sportswear market in 2009, to Nike's 16.7 percent and Adidas's 13.9 percent.
One of Li Ning's most visible smart moves has been its work with Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva (伊辛巴耶娃). With a lack of great Chinese track and field athletes to cheer for in the Beijing Olympics, local fans gravitated toward her, and won't soon forget that her remarkable performance took place in the Bird's Nest, with China as host. She was with Adidas during the games, but Li Ning picked her up a year ago in a 5-year, $7.5-million deal. Ads currently airing on Chinese television show her alongside an otherwise unknown Chinese dancer, Zhao Kexin (赵可忻). While Isinbayeva shows off her pole-vaulting skills and incredible physique, Zhao does things that middle class Chinese women are more likely to identify with—jogging, dancing, stretching. She's essentially a stand-in for the target audience in an ad that promotes the beauty of athletic women.
Li Ning has invested more in research and development lately as well, and it shows in the quality and uniqueness of some of its products. And the brand's Olympic sponsorship strategy looked pretty smart to this non-expert, as does the way they use their biggest NBA pitchman, Baron Davis.
For all of its efforts, in my opinion, Li Ning's chances at success as a global brand are slim. Between its logo's resemblance to Nike's swoosh, and the "Anything is Possible" tagline that is often derided for its resemblance to Adidas's more clever "Impossible is Nothing," Li Ning looks, at first glance, like one big knockoff. The explanation that the logo is meant to call to mind the Chinese flag and the letter "L" aren't likely to win over consumers outside of Asia. Nor is the brand's history. It was founded by a 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast—a distinguished background, for sure, but not one that's going to move sneakers in New York and Los Angeles. I am skeptical as to whether Li Ning truly has its sights set on the U.S. market, or if it just wants to appear to be an international brand, for the sake of the growing domestic consumer market.
A Chinese sportswear brand will go global someday. It won't be Li Ning, but it will owe some of its success to Li Ning's trailblazing ways.
Isinbayeva/Li Ning image: Ce.cn
Tags: Adidas, Baron Davis, Li Ning, Nike, sports marketing, Yelena Isinbayeva
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