Looking back: China's top 10 sports stories in 2009
Monday, 21st December 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (1)
The Bird's Nest is just one of a growing number of white elephants in China. Jinan's Olympic Stadium, above, was built for this year's National Games.
1. Chinese soccer league match fixing
Bribery, match fixing, betting—the Chinese Soccer League has long been tainted with some of sport's worst scourges. In November, police arrested 16 players, coaches and officials in an attempt to clean up the league. But observers say that a lot more still needs to be done.
2.Chinese swimming makes a splash in Rome
When Zhang Lin became China's first male swimming world champ in Rome this summer--winning the 800-meter freestyle in world record time--media quickly crowned him the Liu Xiang of the pool. But unlike Liu, Zhang had some backup from his teammates, as China put in its best ever performance at the world meet. With 4 golds and 10 medals, China was behind only the United States and Germany. Though Zhang Lin dominated the headlines, it was the women—led by Liu Zige and Zhao Jing--who were responsible for China's breakout. Female swimmers accounted for all but two of China's medals, and three of the four golds.
3. Diving judging scandal
China's national games diving competition was shaken up when one judge quit late in the competition, and then leveled accusations that results were fixed and that Zhou Jihong, head of the Chinese diving federation, calls all the shots.
4. Sports official spills secrets
Former national volleyball coach and long-time senior sports administration leader Yuan Weimin published his memoir, "Yuan Weimin: Storms of the Chinese Sports World" in October. Among the stories in Yuan's memoir that are making sports officials squirm is the tale of a shady vote-trading arrangement that put Belgium's Jacques Rogge at the head of the International Olympic Committee and brought the 2008 games to Beijing.
4. Empty Nest
The Beijing Olympics' iconic building, Beijing National Stadium--aka the Bird's Nest, aka a $400 million project that takes $70 million to maintain annually, aka a venue that required the relocation of thousands of families—has hosted only four events since the games ended 16 months ago (including an opera and a martial arts show that couldn't have possibly turned a profit). The situation is so bad that in the fall, the state took back operating control of the venue from its private owners.
5. Liu Xiang's return
A grimacing Liu Xiang limping around the Bird's Nest track was one of the most potent images of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The former Olympic and world record holder in the 110-meter hurdles, an athlete who rivals Yao Ming in prominence in China, was unable to run because of an injury to his Achilles tendon. More than a year later, he put doubts to rest about whether his career was finished, returning to competition in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, where he finished second in a 13.15-second photo finish.
6. China win's women's curling worlds
Curling? On a top 10 list? Stick with me here… When China's women's curling team won world championships last year, skipper Wang Bingyu and her teammates became instant media stars on the mainland. The current team is China's first generation of curlers, and if Canada doesn't figure out how to beat them at the 2010 Winter Olympics, curling will become only the second team sport in which China has won an Olympic gold medal (women's volleyball being the other, in 1984 and 2004).
7. Dealmaker Kenny Huang
Last May, news broke that a Chinese investor was nearing a deal to purchase a 15 percent stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA franchise. That investor was Huang Jianhua, or Kenny Huang, who subsequently made a deal to promote youth baseball with the Chinese Baseball Association and to purchase a team in the Chinese Basketball Association. Last week, reports indicated that the Cavs purchase might go through before the end of the year. The lead on the deal is now Albert Hung, but Huang's still very much involved and seems to have dreams of a Chinese sports empire--keep an eye on this guy.
9. HSBC Champions
Shanghai's HSBC Champions golf tournament was elevated this year to World Golf Championship status, with $7 million in prize money. Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els finished first and second, and China got its last look at a squeaky clean Tiger Woods, who finished sixth. In his reporting on the event for ESPN, Shanghaiist editor Dan Washburn wrote that the event was well timed, as the inclusion of golf in the Olympics could provide a boost to the sport's popularity and official support here. HSBC Champions returns to Shanghai next year, which means it will take place alongside the Shanghai World Expo.
10. China disappears from the NBA
While Huang buys his way into the NBA, Chinese players are limping out. Yao Ming is missing the current season with a foot fracture, and the Nets' Yi Jianlian played just four games before sitting out at least the next 24 with injuries. The next great hope, Sun Yue, was dropped by the Lakers, then picked up and dropped by the New York Knicks. The NBA could really use another once-in-a-lifetime athlete like Yao right about now.
Related:
Zhang Lin, China's first male swimming champ
China Daily: Enthusiasm fades for Bird's Nest
LA Times on Yuan Weimin
ESPN.go.com: Olympics makes China major player in golf
Tags: Bird's Nest, curling, Dan Washburn, football, HSBC Champions, Huang Jianhua, Kenny Huang, Liu Xiang, Liu Zige, NBA, soccer, Sun Yue, Yi Jianlian, Yuan Weimin, Zhang Lin
Giants of Chinese basketball play tonight
Wednesday, 21st October 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Quick, who was the first Chinese guy to play in the NBA?A. Yao Ming
B. Wang Zhizhi
C. Ma Jian
D. Mengke Bateer
B. Wang Zhizhi
C. Ma Jian
D. Mengke Bateer
If you guessed Yao Ming, I can't blame you, but you're wrong. Wang Zhizhi was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1999, and suited up two years later. He didn't join the team until the professional season in China was over in the spring of 2001. He went on to play five seasons in the league, with a career average of 9 minutes and 4 points per game.
Okay, I'll give you another chance. Who was the first Chinese player to win an NBA championship?
A. Sun Yue
B. Wang Zhizhi
C. Mengke Bateer
D. Kobe Bryant
B. Wang Zhizhi
C. Mengke Bateer
D. Kobe Bryant
Sun Yue got a ring as a Los Angeles Laker last season, despite being relegated to the D-League before the playoffs. But he wasn't the first Chinese player on a championship team. That honor goes to Mengke Bateer, a 6'11" Mongolian who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in his second season, in time to share in their 2003 championship.
Now that you know who they are, if you're in China, you can watch them play tonight. Wang and Bateer, two aging giants of Chinese basketball, will face each other in the preliminaries of the Chinese National Games tournament. The game comes on at 7 p.m. on CCTV-5.
Wang Zhizhi (left) and Mengke Bateer pose together in 2002.
Wang/Bateer image: Sohu.com
Tags: basketball, Mengke Bateer, national games, NBA, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming
Good News, Bad News in Chinese Sports World
Tuesday, 15th September 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
When China loses to tiny countries in most team sports, it comes as no surprise. But women's volleyball is supposed to be the exception, the team sport that brought China its first team sport gold medal in 1984 and produced one of its most successful sports exports, Jenny Lang Ping, until recently head coach of the U.S. women's team. That history just adds to the sting of China's 3-1 loss to Thailand at the Asian championships over the weekend. Thailand was seeded third in the tournament, so they didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but they have never won an Asian championship before and didn't even qualify for the 2008 Olympics, where China won bronze against a tough field. Xinhua called the final "thrilling,", but Thailand won each of the last two sets by a margin of 25-19.
Image: English.cri.cn
Good news in track and field: Liu Xiang's return
Liu Xiang will compete at next week's Shanghai Golden Grand Prix (September 20), lacing up his racing shoes for the first time since he limped and winced his way out of competition at last year's summer Olympics. Liu, one-time world record holder, world champion and Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles, is the only Chinese man to ever win Olympic gold in a track event and by far the country's most visible athlete product endorser. Liu's camp is managing expectations, according to this report from the Wall Street Journal. Liu made his announcement after it became clear that the event's reigning Olympic champ and world record holder, Cuba's Dayron Robles, wouldn't be making the trip to Shanghai. Robles pulled out of World Championships in Berlin last month due to a hamstring injury. The new world champ is Ryan Brathwaite, a 21-year-old Barbadian who ran a 13.14 in Berlin. World runner-up, American Terrence Trammell, is also considered a threat to Liu.
Bad news in track and field: A Bolt-less Grand Prix in Shanghai
Usain Bolt, the hottest name in track and field, won't compete in Shanghai next week, and is also skipping an upcoming competition in South Korea. The Jamaican sprinter says he's suffering from fatigue—too many chicken nuggets? It's disappointing news for Chinese fans, and a little puzzling given that returning to China to compete should only help him sell more Puma shoes here.
Good news in basketball: Sun Yue gets a break
The New York Knicks have signed Chinese guard Sun Yue to a non-guaranteed contract, according to multiple media reports. Sun's had a rough NBA run, though we suspect it's been a smoothed a bit by the fact that he garners a little more attention in China for any team that gets involved with him. The Lakers drafted him in 2007, but he didn't get a contract until after the Beijing Olympics. He played in 10 games for the Los Angeles Lakers last year in his rookie season, averaging less than one point, and was relegated to the D-League in March.
Tags: athletics, basketball, Liu Xiang, Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, Sun Yue, track and field, Usain Bolt, volleyball
FIBA Asia Tournament: Tonight's the night to start watching
Tuesday, 11th August 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Yi Jianlian and Team China face tougher opponents starting tonight.
So far, it's been pretty ugly. China's got a record of 4-0 in the tournament, with an average 36-point margin of victory, including a 121-49 win over India. And that wasn't even the most lopsided contest of the tournament. That honor goes to the Japan-Sri Lanka game, which Japan won, 148-45.
The men-against-boys part of the tournament is coming to a close, though. China's games should get better tonight against Lebanon (7 p.m. Beijing time, CCTV-5) and tomorrow night against Jordan (7 p.m.). For China's fans, coming out of this tournament with anything less than first place will be looked on as a failure. The path to the top of the medal stand would most likely require victories over South Korea and Iran, the reigning FIBA Asia champion. Iran has the best answer to China's strength inside--Hamed Ehadadi, a 7-foot-2-inch center who had a quiet rookie season with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies but is leading all players at the Tianjin tournament in rebounds (11.6) and blocks (4.2) per game.
Tomorrow night's China-Jordan game will be followed directly by a good matchup between South Korea and Iran. For a full schedule and results, go to FIBA.com. Another good site for information on the tournament, and on Asian basketball in general, is Asia-basket.com.
Yi Jianlian Image: Xinhua
Tags: basketball, FIBA, Sun Yue, Yi Jianlian
All eyes on Lakers at Rockets
Wednesday, 11th March 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
But it's not just about Yao and the Rockets. There are almost as many Kobe Bryant fans in China as there are Yao fans, so people will be tuning in to see what the mvp candidate does, too.
Off the roster is Lakers guard Sun Yue, one of three Chinese players in the NBA this season. Sun missed the start of the season due to mononucleosis and played in 10 games, averaging about half a point. He has recently been reassigned to the Lakers' developmental team.
The Lakers are 2-0 against the Rockets this season.
While we're on the topic of the NBA, this Bloomberg piece is an interesting read: NBA may benefit as China boosts sports arena plans.
Yao and Kobe image: gzxw.com
Tags: basketball, Houston Rockets, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Sun Yue, Yao Ming
Yao, Yi and Sun face different pre-season challenges
Tuesday, 7th October 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
As the start of the NBA season gets closer, each of China's three NBA players--veteran Yao Ming, second-year player Yi Jianlian and rookie Sun Yue--is facing completely different challenges.Yao Ming, along with Tracy McGrady, is one of two leaders of a Houston Rockets team that's in the hunt for a long-awaited NBA title. He's also still working on completely healing from a foot fracture that ended his season 26 games early last year. A healthy and productive season for Yao is obviously a key ingredient to team success, and to his status as one of the league's premier big men.
Yi Jianlian is adjusting to his new team, the New Jersey Nets, and jetting to Paris and London for exhibition games against the Miami Heat. After getting his wish of moving to a larger market with a bigger Chinese-American population, the power forward is now vying for playing time with other talented front court players including Josh Boone, Stromile Swift, Eduardo Najera and Brook Lopez.
In Los Angeles, Lakers rookie Sun Yue is out indefinitely with mononucleosis. The illness should keep him off the court and out of the weight room for several weeks, not a good look for a player who needs some quick NBA grooming to establish himself as someone who is ready for the league.
Ironically, no Chinese nationals will be suiting up for the two pre-season games in Beijing later this month. The Golden State Warriors take on Yi's former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, in a pair of games October 15 and 18, in Guangzhou and Beijing.
Tags: Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Sun Yue, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian
Sun Yue sidelined with mono
Friday, 26th September 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Chinese national basketball team member and Lakers rookie guard Sun Yue was introduced to the media in Los Angeles Wednesday. With the help of a translator, he addressed a crowd that was outsized considering he was only the 40th overall pick in the 2007 draft, the LA Times reports.
Sun spoke about his longtime dream of playing in the NBA, and his particular interest in the Lakers. He also sought to manage expectations for his on-court performance, characterizing himself as a well-rounded player without exceptional skills in any particular area.
"I'm average," Sun said. "Not one skill that's very, very good, but no one skill that's very, very bad."
Any hope the 22-year-old guard had of making small improvements in the pre-season were soon dashed, though, by news that he will have to miss an indefinite period due to illness. Sun reportedly tested positive for mononucleosis shortly after the press conference.
Watch the full video of the press conference on NBA.com.
Sun Yue image: LA Times
Tags: basketball, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Sun Yue
NBA signs Tsingtao, Lakers sign Sun Yue
Wednesday, 27th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (2)
In what we're sure is a total coincidence, NBA entities had two big China-related announcements right around the time Team USA finished its gold medal romp in Wukesong Arena in Beijing.
The other China product with a hot NBA contract is 23-year-old Sun Yue (孙悦), a guard who finally signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Sun was drafted by the Lakers in 2007, but left to pick up some seasoning before starting contract talks this summer.
Soon-to-be Lakers guard Sun Yue
While Tsing Tsao and the NBA looks like a match made in heaven, we're a little more skeptical about Sun and the Lakers. He'll join a backcourt that doesn't need much help--Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Kobe Bryant seem to have things pretty well in hand, and the team has a couple of other good prospects in training camp. Sun used to play point guard, but with the national team this season, he's been at shooting guard with Liu Wei running the point very capably. During the Olympics, he averaged a pedestrian 6.8 points and 2.5 assists per game.
Sun's been called the "Chinese Magic Johnson" in some Chinese media; don't expect that nickname to stick in a city that knows exactly how Magic played. But even if he never develops into a starter, this second round draft pick should be able to sell a few jerseys on Wangfujing, and cement more Laker loyalty among the Kobe-loving Chinese market.
For a look at Sun's pre-draft workout and video of him blocking Carmelo Anthony's shot, check out his CST profile page.
Tsingtao image: Tsingtao
Tags: basketball, NBA, NBA China, Sun Yue, Tsingtao
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