日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

left corner left corner
China Daily Website

Gold medal for public participation

Updated: 2012-08-04 07:48
By Chen Weihua ( China Daily)

Gold medal for public participationWatching Chinese weightlifter Wu Jingbiao burst into painful tears, and bow and apologize in front of cameras after having to settle for a silver medal at the London Olympic Games was nothing but heartbreaking.

The 23-year-old's tears should not have been for failing to win the gold. Instead, they should have been tears of happiness. After all, a silver medal also represents triumph, although many expected him to win the gold.

No one should blame Wu, not even the athlete himself. Athletes should be applauded and celebrated as long as they try their best, regardless of what place they finish in a contest. This Olympic spirit, however, is not well understood by most Chinese, officials and the public alike.

Many Chinese still believe that the gold medal tally at the Olympics is proof of a country's strength in sports. Many may recall the humiliation in the 1936 Berlin Games when all but one Chinese athlete was eliminated in the preliminaries. It resulted in a Singapore-based newspaper mocking China as the "Sick Man of East Asia".

Chinese sharpshooter Xu Haifeng's gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles is widely regarded as an achievement that finally washed that disgrace off the Chinese athletes.

From then on, Chinese have proved that they can win gold medals, and lots of them, as was seen at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, where China bagged 51 gold, more than any other country. China has proved that again during the first six days of the 2012 London Olympics.

There is nothing more to prove for China. And there is no need for Chinese to be obsessed with gold medals any more.

Wu's apology was apparently because of the high expectation people had from him. China's central and local governments have invested huge amounts to train each Olympic athlete and coaches have tried their best to prepare them for the events. As a result, the nation is infatuated with gold medals.

Perhaps that's why silver and bronze medalists, who too are great athletes, are often treated like losers. For example, Yi Siling was in the spotlight for winning China's first gold medal in 10-meter air rifle at the London Olympics, but bronze medalist Yu Dan was largely forgotten.

The good thing is that there seems to be a mass awakening on such blind pursuit and worship of gold medals. In news media and blogs both, people have voiced their support for Wu and condemned the over-glorification of gold medals.

We should start a debate on whether the gold medal tally really reflects the strength of a nation.

Despite China winning more gold medals than any other country in 2008, sports at the grassroots level in the country has long been ill funded and always lacked facilities.

My colleagues and I play soccer every weekend in Manhattan and Queens of New York City, and I know it is almost impossible to find such a field for free in either Shanghai or Beijing. In Beijing, you have to pay 1,500 yuan ($240) to rent a soccer field for two hours in a university opposite the China Daily office.

The lack of sports facilities in China has discouraged public participation in sports. It is in sharp contrast to what I have seen in cities outside China.

The Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for example, has two great museums for Afro-Brazil and contemporary art.

Yet what impressed me most during my visit there a month ago was the influx of young people jogging, biking and skateboarding in the park. That is also a daily scene in New York Central Park and along the banks of the Hudson River.

China has invested immensely in the Olympics for the sake of national pride, but it is public participation in sports that is worth more than all the gold medals. It is also a true reflection of a nation's strength.

The author, based in New York, is Deputy Editor of China Daily USA. Email: chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/04/2012 page6)

8.03K
...
主站蜘蛛池模板: 福利网在线观看 | 国产一区二区三区免费视频 | 国产成人综合欧美精品久久 | 麻豆成人入口 | 国产午夜精品一区二区三区嫩草 | 成人欧美一区 | 精品国产乱码久久久久 | 精品久久久久久久久久久久 | 国产午夜视频在线 | 成年人免费看片 | 色综合天天综合网天天狠天天 | 99伊人| 久久香蕉国产 | 国产三级小视频 | 久久不卡视频 | 欧美日韩亚洲国产成人 | 四虎永久在线精品免费一区二区 | 99伊人网 | 国产福利在线视频 | 永久免费毛片 | 亚洲成人精品 | 经典av在线 | 天天综合永久 | 青青草久久 | 亚洲黄色免费 | 久久久www成人免费毛片 | 2020中文字幕 | 国产激情福利 | 337p粉嫩大胆色噜噜噜 | 香蕉福利视频 | 国产毛片一级 | 亚洲成a人片 | 一区二区免费在线观看 | 91国内视频 | 国产免费一区二区三区 | 亚洲视频在线看 | 欧美天天射 | 男女拍拍网站 | 亚洲天堂色 | 最新天堂av | 久久久久久久成人 |