Waxworks in China can either be good – like this one of Li Na in Wuhan – or very, very bad – like this one of Vladimir Putin in Fuzhou. Fortunately, Madame Tussauds’ latest creation of swimmer Ye Shiwen falls into the former category and gets a solid 8 out of 10 on the official China Sports Insider waxometer.
All posts by Mark Dreyer
Li Na’s painful streak continues, Marbury wins 2nd CBA title
Li Na has probably never before been compared to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, but there’s a first time for everything. Both are on losing streaks they just can’t do anything about.
Continue reading Li Na’s painful streak continues, Marbury wins 2nd CBA title
NCAA欲夺NBA在华风头
随着美国大学生篮球联赛(NCAA)疯狂三月篮球锦标赛如火如荼的进行，美国大学体育总会的官员宣布，美国两支大学的非职业性的球队将会在中国进行常规赛的揭幕战。
预计在2015年11月13日，华盛顿大学队和德克萨斯大学队将在中国进行对抗。同时在今年夏天，一支来自太平洋12校联盟的全明星球队将会在中国打上一系列比赛。这些全部是新创意的一部分，原本意在展示篮球竞技的同事，尽量多地实现外交和文化交流。
China’s Group Of Death
Wednesday’s Asian Cup draw paired China with Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and North Korea. Given those countries’ reputations, expect global headlines about a literal Group of Death:
China – estimated to execute far more people than the rest of the world combined- Saudi Arabia – no. 4 in the global list with 79 executions in 2013
- Uzbekistan – has what the IHF called a “wide-scale violation of virtually all basic human rights”, with the current government blamed for massacring hundreds in 2005. Continue reading China’s Group Of Death
B’ball Bonanza: Marbury, CBA, NCAA & NBA
Stephon Marbury’s Beijing Ducks lead the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 2-1 in the CBA Finals, with all three wins so far going to the road team. Games 4 and 5 of the best-of-seven series are in Beijing on March 26 and 28 respectively. Marbury scored 21 and 16 points in the two wins and was even better in a losing cause at home. As per Basketball Buddha:
Is Xi Jinping’s love of soccer a double-edged sword?
There’s a particular official within Chinese soccer circles who has developed a habit of starting each press conference or meeting with the words “I don’t know anything about football, but…” The intent is clear: if (when) this all goes south (again), it’s not my fault.
The state’s control of Chinese football is a large reason for its poor performance over the years: what is needed is a long-term plan, but Chinese officialdom rewards short-term thinking.
Having a man in charge of the country who loves the game would appear to be a positive, but this week’s Sports Talk column looks at how Chinese President Xi Jinping’s love of soccer may not actually be such a good thing for the sport after all…
Continue reading Is Xi Jinping’s love of soccer a double-edged sword?
New Zealand PM tries sports diplomacy in China
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has long been a fan of sports diplomacy, having taken international rugby and cricket players with him on previous trips around the Asia-Pacific region. On his current trip to China, rugby was once again at the fore.
Continue reading New Zealand PM tries sports diplomacy in China
The world’s best team?
Teams considered to be the best in the world by the Laureus Academy over the past decade have included FC Barcelona, the European Ryder Cup team and China’s Olympic squad.
But you would be hard pushed to find a more dominant team in world sport right now than the women’s doubles partnership of China’s Peng Shuai and Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei. In winning the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last weekend, the pair moved to 11-0 in finals. I’ve searched high and low to find some comparable dominance – in tennis and elsewhere – and I’m still looking.
国家领导人关注足球事业是把双刃剑
今年年初，中国国家主席习近平频频出现在媒体视野之中，其与往届不同的亲民路线吸引了不少民众的眼球。当然在中国足球的建设方面，因为习主席的关注而发生了一些改变。
China’s barren run continues
Coming into the 2014 Paralympic Games, China had amassed an impressive 326 gold, 259 silver, and 198 bronze medals 1984-2012, but all 783 of them had come in the Summer Games. The best result at a Winter Games had been a fifth place finish by Peng Yuanyuan in the women’s 5km cross-country classic style standing in Vancouver four years ago.
