All posts by Mark Dreyer

Olympics

US Comeback Tops Strong Chinese Challenge in Tokyo

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Wow.

Apologies for the slight delay in getting this out, but I needed to lie down in a cold, dark room after that frantic finish to the Olympics (and overdosing on Twitter). Going into the final day, we still didn’t know which team was going to come out on top of the medals table. But the US completed a comeback to snatch the win at the death – 39 golds to 38 – despite a tremendous performance from China over 16 days of fierce competition.

Like many others, I had assumed beforehand it would be a fairly comfortable win for the US overall – China, remember, couldn’t even beat Great Britain at the last Olympics in Rio – so when China jumped out into an early lead, it was just a matter of time until the US came fighting back, right? Not exactly…

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Basketball, Diving, Football, Olympics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball

China Still Out in Front After First Week at Tokyo Olympics

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In this week’s Olympic round-up, I will go over all the golds that China has won so far, up to the end of Day 8. I’ll start with the golds (from most to least per sport), because that’s what China cares about, even if we get periodic messages from the leadership about moving away from a “win at all costs” mentality. In fact, it feels more like we’re moving back towards that gold obsession these days.

Then I’ll look at some other good performance, as well as some disappointments, and finish with a few other developments – including some significant Winter Olympic news and the launch of the China Sports Insider podcast!

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Olympics

China On Target in Early Running at Tokyo Olympics

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In this week’s Olympic round-up:

  • Two early gold medals for China kick off Day 1
  • Chinese reaction to the Opening Ceremony
  • Tentative start on the pitch for China
  • A round-up of China’s main Olympic medal contenders for Tokyo
  • All the other features and stories of interest
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Olympics

China Tasked with Olympic Rebound, as COVID Dominates Tokyo Build-up

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In this week’s Olympic round-up:

  • IOC President calls Japanese people “Chinese”
  • China’s largest ever delegation to “go all out”, as uniforms ridiculed
  • COVID fears hamper Team China build-up in Tokyo
  • China predicted to finish second in medal table
  • Beijing 2022 preparations “on track”, but outlook remains uncertain
  • The latest Beijing Olympics boycott talk
  • All the other features and stories of interest
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Ice Hockey, Olympics

Tokyo Chaos Lowers Bar for Beijing 2022 – and That’s a Shame

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In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:

  • What Tokyo’s ban on Olympic spectators means for Beijing
  • Record Chinese delegation set for Tokyo, as individual sports announces their teams
  • NHL players hold firm with their desire to play in the Olympics
  • Team China hockey rosters starting to take shape
  • The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
  • All the other features and stories of interest
Continue reading Tokyo Chaos Lowers Bar for Beijing 2022 – and That’s a Shame →
Basketball, Football, Ice Hockey, Olympics

NHL Players Could Miss Out On Olympics As Deadline Looms

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In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:

  • NHL’s decision on Beijing Olympics comes down to the wire
  • Team China lining up “heritage players” despite contract standoff
  • Japan, Australia block China’s route to World Cup qualification
  • Men’s basketball team misses Olympics for first time since 1984
  • The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
  • All the other features and stories of interest
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Football, Golf, Olympics, Swimming, Tennis

Sun Yang Banned for 4+ Years, Will Miss Tokyo Olympics

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In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:

  • Chinese swimmer gets ban of 4 years and 3 months at doping retrial
  • Soccer star Li Ying comes out as lesbian
  • IOC member hails China’s winter sports progress with some dubious stats
  • Commemorative stamps released for 2022 Winter Olympics venues
  • Golfers set for Tokyo, Zhang makes history at Wimbledon
  • The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
  • All the other features and stories of interest
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Football, Olympics, Tennis

China Inches Closer to Unlikely World Cup Berth

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In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:

  • China is into the third round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying
  • WTA set to decide on the future of China tournaments for this year
  • Peter Hessler’s bizarre take on the Chinese skiing industry
  • Eileen Gu Ailing nominated for an ESPY Award
  • Chinese diver to compete for Australia at Tokyo Olympics
  • The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
  • All the other features and stories of interest
Continue reading China Inches Closer to Unlikely World Cup Berth →
Football, Olympics

Indian Team Scraps Chinese Uniforms in Embarrassing U-Turn

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In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the Olympics and elsewhere:

  • Indian Olympic Association scraps Li-Ning kit deal
  • China on the verge of progressing in FIFA World Cup qualifying
  • The IOC provides an update on its plans for Beijing
  • 22nd death in Gansu ultramarathon disaster as official commits suicide
  • The latest boycott threats from around the world
  • All the other features and stories of interest
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Football, Olympics, Swimming

Setting Sun, Soccer Screwup, Ski Supremo & Stricken Sponsors

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As mentioned last week, I’ll still be looking at whatever Winter Olympic action crops up, plus all the developments on the road to Beijing 2022, but as we head into the summer months, other sports will also get a look in, with star swimmer Sun Yang and his retrial in a doping case getting top billing this week, along with China’s last-minute switch to play its upcoming World Cup qualifying games in the UAE, which could have significant implications for China’s 2022 World Cup hopes.

In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the Olympics and elsewhere:

  • Swimming world waits for Sun Yang retrial verdict
  • China’s World Cup qualifiers switched to UAE
  • Beijing 2022 “Bound to Happen”
  • New Chinese involvement in International Ski Federation
  • Mixed news for Olympic sponsors
  • The latest boycott threats from around the world
  • All the other features and stories of interest
Continue reading Setting Sun, Soccer Screwup, Ski Supremo & Stricken Sponsors →