20 nantongspecial SATURDAY, JULY 28, 2012 CHINA DAILY Nantong looks forward to London Games

school training in games that government leaders also attri- City famed for producing interest them, including table bute Nantong’s success to its tennis, badminton, diving, century-old sports tradition. swimming and fencing. In 1903, when sports facilities athletes has high hopes Another popular method were somewhat of a rarity in is to send coaches to ordinary the ancient country, the Rugao for this year’s Olympics schools so that they can pro- Normal School in Nantong vide professional instruction for built a 300 square meter indoor By LI FUSHENG in 1992, Nantong’s athletes have students in the schools’ sports sports facility for its students. [email protected] taken home 10 gold medals in teams. Two years later, local schools fi ve straight Olympics. In this manner, coaches organized the city’s fi rst modern With the 2012 London “They performed particu- can spot students who have athletic contest. Olympics under way, a city in larly well at the Beijing Olym- great sports potential without In 1913, the city government, East China’s Jiangsu province pic Games in 2008, where they affecting their academic per- with funds contributed by local is expected to once again rise won four gold medals, with formance, a local sports offi cial entrepreneurs, established Nan- to fame, given the excellent three of them taken in a single said. tong’s fi rst public stadium. performance of its athletes in day,” said a local sports offi cial. Th is also helps dismiss many In 1922, two students at the a number of international and Nantong owes its achieve- parents’ worries that training city’s normal school went to national events in the past, ments mainly to its trailblaz- might cause their children to Japan for the Far Eastern Cham- local sports offi cials have said. ing approach to cultivating lag behind in academic studies. pionship Games and returned Nantong in Southeast Jiangsu young, promising athletes, said Thanks to such methods, with a bronze. has nurtured 17 athletes who Liu Peng, head of the country’s young sports geniuses can Th is long-running legacy has have won a total of 80 gold General Administration of choose professional teams helped result in almost univer- medals in international com- Sport. where they can receive fur- sal enthusiasm for physical fi t- petitions since the late 1970s, “It has a system that inte- ther training and compete for ness among students as well as when China first appeared in grates training with education medals, while students who local citizens. the global sports arena. for young students interested are unlikely to perform well in Offi cial statistics show that And the number of world in sports, and this method has sports will still have the oppor- more than 4 million residents, champions from the city has proven effective and fruitful,” tunity to go to college or at least over half of the city’s popula- been on the rise over the past Liu said. vocational schools, he added. tion of 7 million, take part in Young players take part in a citywide football league. three decades: four in the 1980s, The city has nine part-time sports on a regular basis. five in the 1990s and eight in sports schools, where more Century-old tradition Sports centers have been built the 2000s. than 1,550 primary and middle In addition to this training in all 115 of its towns, and resi- Since the Barcelona Olympics school students receive after- and selection mechanism, local dents in all its 1,789 villages also have convenient access to sports facilities, said the city’s sports offi cials. Th e city’s largest comprehen- sive sports facility, the 160,000 sq m Nantong Sports and Exhi- bition Center, began operation in 2006. Costing 1.1 billion yuan, the complex comprises a stadium, an exhibition center and an indoor swimming pool. In recent years, Nantong has hosted a number of major sporting events, including the Asian Fencing Championships, which have also helped fuel the development of local sports.

Booming industry The local people’s rising enthusiasm for sports and the increasing number of events in the city have also created a big Local students receive training at one of Nantong’s part-time sports schools. market for the sports industry. More companies and fi rms for almost 1 percent of the local sports and other social under- as well as the Nantong branch of are now engaged in the pro- GDP. takings. the China Sports Museum and a duction of sports equipment, The booming industry has In addition, local businesses number of other training facili- off ering sports-related servic- also boosted the development have increased their investment ties have all used funds from es, operating sports facilities, of sports in the city. in building sports facilities and non-government investors. organizing competitions and About 4 billion yuan worth of running sporting events. The universal enthusiam for physical fi tness shown by locals is the basis for the city’s fame in selling sports lottery. sports lottery was sold last year, For example, the Nantong Ding Congrong contributed to sports. Th e sports industry accounts off ering enough funds for local Sports and Exhibition Center the story Athletes continue tradition of excellence

Editors note: Over the past medal in men’s doubles at the the provincial team in 2004 three decades China has grown 2004 Summer Olympics in and the national team in Ge Fei (Badminton) into a heavyweight player in the Athens, becoming the young- 2005. She won gold medals in Born in 1975, Ge is a for- global sports arena. And athletes est male ever to hold this title women’s 10-meter platform mer badminton player. Join- from Nantong have made a spe- at the age of 20. In 2007, he and 10-meter synchronized ing the national team in 1993, cial contribution to the nation’s claimed the gold medal in platform at the 2008 Summer she was a frequent winner of rising fame in international men’s doubles at the World Olympics in Beijing. In the 2011 gold medals in world competi- sports. Th e following are some Table Tennis Championships World Aquatics Champion- tions, including two Olympic of the heroes whom local people in Zagreb, Croatia. Chen was ships held in Shanghai, Chen gold medals, two IBF World take pride in. also a member of the Chinese won two gold medals for wom- Championship gold medals in teams that won gold medals en’s 10-meter platform and 10 women’s doubles, and a World Chen Qi (Table Tennis): at the World Table Tennis meter synchronized platform. Championship gold medal in Born in 1984, Chen began Championships held in 2005 Chen is the first Chinese mixed doubles. Ge was also a training in 1990. He became and 2007. female diver who claimed all member of the Chinese teams a member of the provincial the gold medals in women’s that captured the Uber Cup in team at the age of 12 and Chen Ruolin (Diving) platform events in the Olympic 1998 and 2000. joined the national team three Born in 1992, Chen started Games, World Cup and World years later. Chen won the gold training in 2001. She joined Championships. Huang Xu (Gymnastics) Born in 1979, Huang is an artistic gymnast specializing in pommel horse and paral- lel bars. Beginning training in 1983, he joined the national team in 1993. In 1997, Huang Former world champion Lin Li teaches kids how to swim. won his fi rst gold medal in the 33rd Artistic Gymnastics World in women’s singles at the Dan- 1991. He was one of top four joined the national team in Championship held in Laus- ish Open in 1982 and the gold players in the world during the 2005. He won the gold medal anne, Switzerland. He was also medals in women’s doubles at late 1980s and early 1990s. at the 2008 Summer Olympics, a member of gold-medal-win- the All-England Open in 1983. China’s second gold in fencing. ning Chinese teams at the 2000 Wu was also a member of the Zhong Man (Fencing) Zhong was also a member of and 2004 Summer Olympics. Chinese teams that won the Born in 1983, Zhong is a the gold-medal-winning Chi- Uber Cup in 1984 and 1986. saber fencer. He started prac- nese team at the Asian Games Lin Li (Swimming) ticing fencing in 1997 and in 2010. Born in 1970, Lin began her Zhao Jianhua (Badminton) training as a swimmer in 1976. Born in 1965, Zhao is a for- Lin competed at the 1992 Olym- mer badminton player who NANTONG ATHLETES FOR THE pic Games in Barcelona, where competed internationally she won a gold medal and set from the mid 1980s to the early LONDON OLYMPICS a world record in 200-meter 1990s. He is a two-time winner individual medley, becoming of the gold medal in singles at China’s fi rst world champion in the All-England Open in 1986 Zhong Man: men’s saber fencing swimming. and 1990 and was a member Chen Ruolin: women’s 10 m platform and synchronized of the Chinese teams that won platform Wu Jianqiu (Badminton) the Th omas Cup in 1988 and Wu Penggen: men’s beach volleyball Born in 1962, Wu is a retired 1990. Zhao also won the gold Zhang Xi: women’s beach volleyball female badminton player. Aft er medal in singles in the IBF Ma Jin: badminton mixed doubles PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY joining the national team in World Championships held Yao Lei: badminton (on behalf of Singapore) Former world champion Lu Bin instructs young gymnasts during a training class. 1981, she won the gold medal in Copenhagen, Denmark, in