The 10-day national sports carnival for non-Olympic events, the
All-China Games, came to a close in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province today, having attracted a
record field of 4,085 athletes who were members of 55 delegations
from different provinces, sports associations, universities and
colleges as well as those from Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region and Taiwan Province. Listed in the games program were 268
disciplines from 28 sports.
In contrast to the quadrennial National Games, where only
legitimate athletic sports made the schedule and which are
recognized as a significant "home Olympics" for top athletes, the
All-China Games give priority to promoting national physical
fitness and providing lots of fun for amateur athletes.
Last year, in the venue construction alone for the 10th National
Games, host Nanjing spent a total of 10 billion yuan (US$1.2b) on
building and restructuring 132 venues including an Olympic park
which contains multi-storey stadiums and a stunning swimming
complex. Despite looking a little bit humble especially when most
of the Olympic title-holders are absent, the All-China Games focus
on encouraging people to participate in sport rather than chasing
medals, according to Feng Jianzhong, vice director of the State
General Administration of Sports (SGAS). So there are no medal
rankings.?
Of the 55 delegations, 16 are sports associations working in
professional trades like petroleum, mining and railways. The
numbers taking part are 50 percent up on last year. "People show
great interest in the games because we like the competitions
available," said Tang Wei, under-secretary general of the
Locomotive Sports Association.
The All-China Games are popular among athletes, coaches and
sports officials. An official at the Liaoning Sports Bureau said
the investment proportion between mass sports and the local
athletics stood at around 10:1. He considered it better to put more
effort into developing community sports and improving the fitness
of many than spending large sums of money on introducing a
competitive element.
Despite not keeping any real scorecards, the All-China Games
still witnessed the inclusion of more sports than ever: 28 sports
and 268 disciplines including bridge, fin swimming, the dragon
boats and billiards. Most of these are regarded as typical
sports-entertainment for ordinary people who enjoy participating in
their spare time. In 2002 the number of activities was 17 and it
reached 22 in 2004.
In 1993 with a production line of professional Olympic athletes,
the 7th National Games excluded all non-Olympic events (despite
wushu) and many disciplines appeared to be under threat. Among the
1,093 world champions who appeared between 1979-1997, some 818 were
non-Olympic titles, accounting for 74.8 percent. To better improve
mass sports and offer space for these disciplines, the first
All-China Games was introduced in 2002 in the city of Ningbo.
Chinese wrestling, for instance, boasts a history spanning
thousands of years, reaching its heights during the Song Dynasty
(AD 960-1279), Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the 1950s. "The major
idea of Chinese wrestling lies in stopping just an inch before the
target, not like judo and modern wrestling which aim to overpower,
and that reflects the traditional culture of China," said Sun
Qingguo, former head coach of the Chinese wrestling national
team.
However, the discipline was eliminated by many local sports
bureaus since its absence at the National Games in 1993. It almost
disappeared before the first All-China Games was initiated. Some
other traditional sports rescued include the lion and dragon dances
and the dragon boats.
Apart from the competition events, the All-China Games this year
also provided a batch of events to attract more people to sports
events. Such events included the Taihu Lake Sports Forum, the First
Sports Festival for Middle-aged and Senior Citizens, and the Suzhou
Fitness Month.
According to the SGAS, the 4th All-China Games will be held in
the city of Hefei in Anhui Province in 2010. More popular events
will be included and it's believed to be capable of surpassing the
National Games someday in the future, according to Feng
Jianzhong.
Sports included in the All-China Games:
Lion Dance, Chinese Wrestling, Trampoline, Dance Sports, Bridge,
Golf, Aerobics, Game of Go, Water Skiing, Parachuting, Body
Building and Fitness, Billiards, Chess, Chinese Chess,
Mountaineering and Climbing, Dragon Boad, Squash, Orienteering,
Hobby Craft, Wireless Location Hunt, Bowling, Roller Sports, Open
Water Swimming, Tug of War; Fin Swimming, Goal Ball, Boules.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiao, May 30, 2006)