Here, belatedly, is one of my appearances on BBC World during the Sochi Olympics, talking to presenter Sarah Stone live via Skype. The first part is a little outdated as it talks about China’s medals and prospects (at that time), but the section from 1:38 on Beijing’s bid for the 2022 Olympic Games is still relevant.
Continue reading China Sports Insider Ep. 4 – Beijing’s Olympic bid
Following a more light-hearted look at China’s Olympic performance in Sochi, here’s an extract from a more serious analysis. For all the reports of China’s “disappointing” Olympics, it won more short track medals than any other country. But where else can China shine in the future? Continue reading Speed skating and snowboard hold key to China’s future Olympic success
The Chinese delegation came away from Sochi with 3 gold medals, 4 silvers and 2 bronze, good for 12th in the medals table. China Sports Insider reviews the highs and lows…
Best performance
Zhang Hong, gold, 1,000 m speed skating. Starting in the 7th of 18 heats (when the top ranked skaters typically go at the end), Zhang started slowly but then turned on the burners. Her time ripped up the track record and no one even came close – her winning margin was bigger than the previous four finals combined. Best of all, it was China’s first ever long track Olympic title.
Worst performance
Here are a few things we’ve been reading on China’s Olympic progress:
The BBC’s Martin Patience makes the good point that Zhangjiakou doesn’t have a hill large enough to host the downhill were China to win the 2022 Olympics. Fake snow? Check. Clear the skies? No problem. Bigger hill? Hmmm….
Continue reading Olympic links: Problems for 2022, record TV numbers & 1 very fed up athlete
Day 13 was a quiet one for China in Sochi with figure skaters Li Zijun and Zhang Kexin finishing 14th and 15th respectively in the ladies solo competition, but Day 14 could be big one…
Continue reading Could this be China’s best day of the Olympics?
It’s a slow day on the Olympic front for China – just Li Zijun and Zhang Kexin (currently 11th and 14th respectively) in the ladies figure skating – so here’s a picture that proves beyond all doubt that the Olympics have resulted in a huge growth for winter sports in China…
After making history by reaching their first ever Olympic semifinal, the Chinese men’s curling team fell short against Canada on Wednesday night, losing 10-6 in a high-scoring game that equaled the record for total number of points in a semifinal.
Continue reading China’s rock stars come up short against Canada
Tuesday night saw the much hyped re-match between China and Korea in the women’s short track speed skating relay. In summary, they battled back and forth with the lead changing hands several times, before Korea crossed the line first, with China in second – then the Chinese team were deprived of their silver after a penalty for impeding another skater.
But it now emerges that the Koreans might have been doing exactly the same as the Chinese. Continue reading Canadian coach: Korean cheats got away with it
每隔几年，奥林匹克精神总会成为人们热议的话题。可怎样才是真正合格的奥运会选手呢？仅仅是在奥运会上代表自己的国家参赛吗？
Day 11 review
Aside from the drama of the women’s 3,000 m relay – which ended China’s Olympic short track streak in the women’s events at six – there were a couple of heats: 500 m winner Li Jianrou and Fan Kexin safely made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s 1,000 m, though Liu Qiuhong was disqualified for impeding another skater; on the men’s side, Liang Wenhao, Han Tianyu and Wu Dajing all won their heats and progressed through to the quarterfinals, which start late on Saturday night.
Continue reading The Outsliders: China’s curlers prepare to take on Canada
