I got a message out of the blue this week from Patrick McEnroe – the former US Davis Cup captain turned ESPN commentator and, yes, brother of John – to go on his Holding Court podcast to talk about tennis and China, plus everything in between. It was a lot of fun – you can find that episode here (and see the video clip below). Just days earlier, I had the chance to talk to Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu on my own China Sports Insider Podcast – and he had a lot to say (full show blurb below). We also talked on the show about China losing its hosting rights to the 2023 Asian Cup – and see some of my comments I made on the topic to Reuters here.
Category Archives: Podcast
Rudi Ying Hits Out at Teammates, System in Explosive Interview
Happy Easter – and I have a real treat for you today! If you’ve been reading this site for a year or more, there’s a good chance you saw the Frostbitten piece, which revealed for the first time quite how chaotic things were in the world of Chinese ice hockey. [It’s a good primer in terms of some of the background, but much has changed since then].
After I published the piece, then-captain of the Chinese squad Rudi Ying reached out to me to share some of his thoughts and concerns – his mother had seen the piece in one of the parent ice hockey groups she was in – and we’ve kept in regular touch since . I finally got the chance to sit down with him in person this week and the podcast below was, well, explosive. Rudi went on the record for the first time about his teammates, the divisions in the Chinese camp leading up the Olympics, his own failings as a player, his frustrations with the Chinese system and a whole lot more. I could write pages on this, but I’ll spare you – just listen to the podcast! Full blurb underneath the podcast player:
Last chance to get the Easter week discount for Sporting Superpower – click here!
Continue reading Rudi Ying Hits Out at Teammates, System in Explosive Interview
Shanghai Showdown: Cameron Wilson Talks Balls and Lockdowns
Long-time Shanghai resident and Chinese football expert Cameron Wilson is now on Day 23 of his lockdown on the Pudong side of the city. Given what’s happened there over the past few weeks, we felt it was important to get his views on both topics – the lockdown and the state of Chinese football. And, as a reader of China Sports Insider, here’s why YOU should care: although much of the world is likely disinterested about China’s current outbreak through a combination of COVID fatigue and/or the distraction of other news closer to home, how China handles this outbreak could define the global sports industry for years to come.
If China can walk this back from the cliff, with a short-term plan to keep the virus contained, a medium-term plan to get the elderly vaccinated and a longer-term plan to finally re-open its borders, there are enough green shoots of recovery to think that China’s sports industry could again become a major player. But if things in Shanghai keep going south, the border could remain closed indefinitely, continuing to cripple what’s left of China’s post-Olympics sports industry – and the ramifications in other sectors could be far, far larger. Full show below:
Stunning F1 Debut for Zhou Guanyu Sparks Talk of Shanghai GP Return in 2022
In the latest episode of the China Sports Insider Podcast, we talk to Italian race engineer and team manager turned series promoter Davide de Gobbi, arguably one of the most influential people in Asian motorsports. Chances are that if you attended or watched a China-based racing series over the past 15 years, de Gobbi had something to do with it. I’ve been commentating on motorsports events that he’s put on since 2013, including the 2021 Asian F3 Championship, won by none other than new F1 star Zhou Guanyu.
Zhou’s past, present and future fills much of the show, as well as the compelling argument that his stunning start to his F1 career – in the points on his debut in Bahrain last weekend – lends weight to rescheduling the Shanghai Grand Prix (cancelled in 2020-22 due to COVID-19) for late September this year, now that there is an empty spot on the calendar, due to the removal of the Russian GP. Full show blurb below.
Eileen Gu Citizenship Dilemma Throws Up Familiar Questions
China’s Eileen Gu flew into Beijing this week ahead of the Olympics, after travelling from her home in the US. And that last fact – that she still lives in the US despite switching to compete for China in 2019 – made her the subject of a recent article in The Wall Street Journal. Haig and I debate the situation at length in an animated podcast. There are two main issues here:
- For someone who has reportedly renounced her US citizenship, Eileen Gu still spends an awful lot of time in the US – something that may be against US law. [UPDATE: Sources conflict on this, but I’m told it’s possible to renounce and then apply for a tourist visa or even an O or P visa, which would allow longer-term stays.] Conversely, if she does still have her US passport tucked away at home, then China has made a rather large exception to its strict nationality law, which forbids dual citizenship. It’s an issue that has faced several athletes recruited by China in recent years from ice hockey to soccer, and it’s a topic I explore at length in my new book Sporting Superpower. (What’s that? You haven’t downloaded a copy yet?! Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered – click here now!)
Olympic Sailing Star Meets Peng Shuai in Shanghai
Happy New Year to all my readers and thanks for following, listening and reading throughout 2021. The 2022 Beijing Olympics begin exactly one month from today, and the Closed Loop Management System (aka the Olympic bubble) went into operation this morning.
This week on the China Sports Insider Podcast we spoke to Chinese Olympic sailing champion Xu Lijia, who won gold in the laser division at the 2012 Olympics in London, where she also carried the flag for China at the Closing Ceremony. She had some fascinating things to say about her career and about China’s state-run sports system in general. She was also pictured in Shanghai recently alongside Yao Ming, table tennis champ Wang Liqin, and people’s favorite Peng Shuai in what was clearly a staged photo shoot. I asked her about that and for her thoughts on Peng in what has become our most listened podcast so far! Full blurb below:
Continue reading Olympic Sailing Star Meets Peng Shuai in Shanghai
Up close with Stephon Marbury, plus NHL’s Olympic scare stories
This week on the China Sports Insider Podcast we sit down with basketball star Stephon Marbury – arguably the most famous foreigner living in China, where he’s been for more than a decade. It’s a wide ranging chat about his current coaching duties in the CBA bubble, the upcoming Olympics, his career in China, plans for the future, and more, so please give it a listen.
But before the chat with Marbury, we focus on the latest Olympic ice hockey news. With COVID-19 again ripping through much of the western world, it’s increasingly likely that the NHL’s schedule will be disrupted to such an extent that the league may prevent its players from going to the Olympics, because it will need the scheduled three-week break to catch up all the postponed games. But if that doesn’t happen, the players should still travel with confidence, despite all the misinformation bouncing around North American media. We break down what’s true and what isn’t, and what NHL players can expect when they get to Beijing.
Continue reading Up close with Stephon Marbury, plus NHL’s Olympic scare stories
Olympic “Boycott”, Hockey Showdown & the CSL Returns To Action
Episode 11 of the China Sports Insider Podcast features:
- The latest on the Olympic ice hockey drama – the Chinese men’s team is now confirmed to be in, so what does that mean come February?
- The US announces a diplomatic boycott (read “boycott”) for the 2022 Games; we discuss what that means in practical terms.
- And with the Chinese Super League returning this weekend after a four-month break, we speak to Tariq Panja from The New York Times and Nikki Wang, formerly an adviser to the CSL with Deloitte, on the overall state of Chinese football and how things got so bad.
Click through to hear the show (full blurb and timestamps below). Please leave feedback in the comments!
Continue reading Olympic “Boycott”, Hockey Showdown & the CSL Returns To Action
Hockey Drama and Steph Hsiao Talks NFL in China
Episode 10 of the China Sports Insider Podcast is another packed show, in which we tackle tennis, F1, and ice hockey, plus hear from Steph Hsiao about the NFL in China.
This coming Monday, December 6, should see some sort of announcement over the make-up of the Chinese men’s Olympic ice hockey team for Beijing 2022 – as well as a final decision on whether or not China will get kicked out and replaced by Norway. After literally years of wrangling over the citizenship issue – i.e. how to recruit foreign-born players for Team China – sources from inside the camp indicate that this decision is coming right down to the wire. Simply put, some players are more comfortable signing away their existing citizenship in exchange for a Chinese passport than others – but the exact make-up of the roster could dramatically affect how China fares against the NHL’s best next February. Listen to the show directly on the player below or go to our landing page on SupChina here. It’s also available on all the usual podcast sites (search “China Sports Insider Podcast”).
Continue reading Hockey Drama and Steph Hsiao Talks NFL in China
More Peng Shuai, Olympic Boycotts and Esports in China
Listen below to the latest edition of the China Sports Insider Podcast. It’s been taking me a little while to get the latest episodes up on here (apologies for that), so if you want to get the new shows as soon as they come out, please subscribe via your preferred podcast player.
Continue reading More Peng Shuai, Olympic Boycotts and Esports in China