Talking Balls: Go Guo'an, Peasant Olympics and NBA Players Join the Beijing Ducks
Xinhua dubbed them the "National Peasants' Games" (though they called it the 7th not the 6th) but a lot of foreign media have taken to calling the 6th National Nongmin Sports Meeting the "Peasant Olympics." The games wound up on Saturday in Fujian's Quanzhou and attracted more attention than you would expect due to the presence of non-typical sporting events such as rice transplanting and even rice throwing. AFP have done a nice little video roundup here. The event, like the Olympics, is held every four years, the first was held in Beijing in 1988.
Go on Guoan! Another win from the hometown heroes puts them in the top four on the league ladder. The 1-0 win over Zhejiang Lucheng at their home ground in Fengtai yesterday keeps the team's dreams of a dramatic last gasp assault on the league title alive. The victory follows on the heels of last week's victory over Dalian Shide (2-1) and is the first time that the team have won five games on the trot in a single season. Beijing papers were reporting that the club had offered players a RMB 1 million prize if they won the game. All of this means that they are three wins from the summit with five games to play. Only time will tell if there will be silverware coming to the capital at the end of the season. Their next games are of vital importance, this Saturday they travel away to take on the top-placed Shanghai before playing 5th place Tianjin at home next Wednesday
Also representing the good people of the capital in professional sporting competition are the Shougang Beijing Ducks. Their season tips off on Nov 16 against the Xinjiang Flying Tigers then four home games in a week from Nov 23（full season schedule available here in Chinese). The ducks will be helped along in this year's tilt with the addition of two big name American imports, David Harrison (hey played for the Pacers in the NBA for a while) and Dontae Jones. However, both players come with questions of whether they'll be able to toe the line - with Jones already running into trouble after getting involved in an altercation with Xi'an fans earlier this year and Harrison one of the players involved in the infamous Pacers/Pistons fans brawl back in 2004 (video here). He was also suspended for 5 games earlier this year for a drug violation. If you want to see them in action you can head over to the Shougang Basketball Stadium out in Shijingshan. For those who champion the women’s game the WCBA has already started, with Beijing’s team winning two and losing two of their opening four games.
Beijing Shougang Basketball Centre
Beijing's CBA-level basketball team, Capital Steel, plays here from late October to March/April. Go Capital Steel Go! 159 Fushi Lu, Shijingshan District. (8829 6158)
北京首钢篮球中心, 石景山区阜石路159号
In more China-related basketball, the two stars representing the middle kingdom in the NBA both got off to winning starts. Yao Ming’s Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 82-71, with the big man helping himself to 21 points. Meanwhile, Yi Jian and his Nets went to the Washington Wizards and won by 95-85. High-five.
In more local news, some Beijing schools have brought golf to the fore and given their students lessons. Don’t pin your hopes on this extending to all P.E classes across the capital any time soon, as so far, it is only at the more financially solvent seats of learning.
On a sadder note the last remnants of the Olympics are beginning to be washed away. Not content with the washing away of the marathon start line, authorities have now also seen fit to take down the torch from the Bird’s Nest. Those suits in London are probably to blame. Citizens will now have to rely on all of the Olympic venues as reminder enough of those balmy nights in August.
The only balm you get with winter sports is for your lips and you’ll have needed that last week for the Fat Saturday at Mellowparks. Needless to say it was suitably fat and there will be more and more radical snowboard action for the young bucks coming up soon. With Nanshan opening up there will be ample opportunity to get out of town and hit the slopes.
For sports fans willing to travel to see some once in a lifetime top-notch sports action then you might want to book tickets to Shanghai or Chengdu. Chengdu will host the latest of Don King’s circuses when Andrew Golota and Ray “The Rainman” Austin scrap it out on Nov 7. Shanghai took things a little more upscale when the Royal Salute Polo Gold Cup cantered into town last month. You can take a look at the highlights of the 2007 Cup here.
Links and Sources
Times Online: It's rice-throwing time at the National Peasant Games in China (image)
ABC News: China kicks off peasant Olympics
Sina:图文-[中超]北京国安1-0浙江绿城 郭辉激情四射
Legal Evening News: 首钢“洋大巴” 周末开进北京
The Beijing News: 高尔夫首次进高中课堂
The Beijing Times: 火炬稍息
AP: Polish boxer Andrew Golota during training in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan province Friday, Oct. 31, 2008.