Featured

2008 Beijing Olympic Game

COC President proud of Chinese delegation

Updated: 2008-08-24 16:30:48

(BEIJING, August 24) — In giving an overview of the performance of the Chinese delegation in the Beijing Olympic Games, Liu Peng, president of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), said that the Chinese athletes displayed good sportsmanship and technical athletic skills, further motivated the general public to participate in sports and fitness activities and turned the Olympic Games into a platform for friendly exchanges, as well as a sports feast of peace, harmony and progress.

For the Beijing Games, the Chinese delegation is composed of 639 athletes participating in 28 sports, 38 disciplines and 262 events. They have displayed good spirit by not overly expressing elation when victorious or depression when defeated, Liu commented. Among others, shooter Du Li embodied this spirit thoroughly. Although Du failed in the 10m Air Rifle, she made necessary adjustments, relying on her will power and determination to walk out from under the shadow of defeat to finally win a gold medal in her second event.

The Chinese sports delegation has adhered to the stringent policy of anti-doping and followed IOC rules for doping control to achieve participation free of any single positive case of drug use.

The Chinese delegation also displayed impressive skills in athletic technique, winning 49 gold, 19 silver and 28 bronze medals as of August 23, breaking four world records in the process. In events traditionally strong for the Chinese, such as Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Diving, Table Tennis, Badminton, Shooting and Judo, athletes took 39 golds, 80% of the gold medals China earned in all. Moreover, Chinese representatives have made historical breakthroughs in Archery, Rowing, Trampoline, Fencing, Sailing and Women’s Gymnastics.

Among all the athletes of the Chinese delegation, veteran athletes have achieved new glory in their careers, while newer athletes are becoming the main force of Chinese sports. Among all the participants, two-thirds of the athletes took part in the Games for the first time.

According to Liu, the Chinese delegation benefited from the government’s commitment and support from the masses. He also ascribed the achievement of the Chinese delegation to the support, encouragement and understanding provided by the Chinese Olympic Committee and various business partners, as well as the warm helping hands of the international sporting community. While many Chinese athletes and coaches have been working for overseas sports delegations, so far, 38 foreign coaches have come to work for the Chinese delegation to raise China’s competitive level.

In the past two weeks, athletes from all around the world competed in different venues and lived in the Olympic Village. They have strengthened their friendships and deepened their understanding. In the spirit of “One World One Dream,” we have achieved the objectives of unity, friendship and progress, said Liu. He ended his speech by giving thanks to NOCs and athletes who made financial contributions to the quake stricken areas in Sichuan province during the Olympic Games.

© 2008 China Connection. (RSS)