Black Market Doing Big Ticket Business Tennis Spectators Part of the Show
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NOVEMBER 23, 20 CHINA DAILY PAGE 7 OFF TRACK Black market doing WHO’S SAYING WHAT... big ticket business “I want to log on to Facebook and say sorry to Indonesia.” Scalpers are doing a brisk busi- Archer IKA ROCHMAWATI, after her ness at Asian Games venues, with exit from the women’s event. tickets to see Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan costing more than the price of entry to watch “I had a good dream while iconic hurdler Liu Xiang. fl ying from Korea to China. Black market tickets for Lin’s gold medal singles victory on Sun- My dream was about when I day went for as much as 5,000 yuan was crossing a bridge in my ($750), far outstripping the 1,600 car. I got out and saw below a yuan that touts were asking for Wednesday’s 110m hurdles fi nal, carp fi sh the size of a dolphin the Yangtze Evening News said. which swam to me. I believe Lin played in a much smaller the dream was the reason why venue, however, while the 5,000 yuan price was for a ticket with I won the gold medal.” a 600-yuan face value, the report Badminton mixed doubles gold medalist said. SHIN BAEK-CHEOL, on his bizarre Scalpers were asking 1,600 dream which he interpreted as a premo- yuan for tickets with a face value nition that he would be successful. of 80 yuan to watch Liu run at the 80,000-seat Aoti Main Stadium. “20km race training is boring, More than 2.3 million tickets have been issued for the Asian 50km is even more boring. We Games, with about half of them used to tell jokes whilst train- given away to sponsors and other ing to make us happy.” organizations linked to the event, Guangzhou’s Yangcheng Evening China 20km winner WANG HAO, on News reported. her team’s training methods. In an effort to fill the stands, organizers have urged those with SAM YEH / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE “Maybe dyeing my hair purple Koji Wada of Japan (left) competes against Mongolia’s Khuchit Nergui on Sunday. Japan won 55-0. free tickets to pass them on to brought me good luck.” friends or games volunteers if they CHIANG HUI- decide they do not want to attend MONGOLIANS UNDAUNTED AFTER ASIAN GAMES Chinese Taipei’s CHUAN, after hitting a home run to the matches, the paper said. Mongolia was outscored 195-0 in the Gansukh hopes to build a successful But apparently a lot of those beat softball favorite Japan. men’s rugby sevens group stage, but coach sevens platform in Mongolia, setting the tickets are falling into the hands of scalpers. Last week, Guangzhou Dashdendev Gansukh was still thrilled with scene for his country’s future rugby union “Since I’m not well, the acu- his team’s Asian Games debut. success. police arrested 196 scalpers who puncture needles help me to allegedly were trying to sell more Mongolia has played in a 15-a-side Asian Three of the current team, captain than 1,300 tickets, the paper said. Games Rugby Union before it was cut from Khosbayar Ganbold, Gansaikhan Enh- lessen the pain so I can concen- the program. kbat and Delgerkhuu Tsegmed, have trate on my game.” Tennis spectators The team made its fi rst appearance in played union in Hong Kong, Korea and Korea chess player LEE SEU-LA, on the sevens in Guangzhou and was the only England respectively. And Gansukh having acupuncture needles in her head. part of the show one not to advance to the quarterfi nals. played for Cardiff University in Wales for Not that it worried Gansukh. eight years. Spectators shared some of the “He dislikes talking.” “We are very happy,” he said. “It was really But Gansukh said the transition to sev- spotlight during the women’s Kazakh team offi cial MURATBEK singles semifi nal between China’s hard to prepare for this tournament as it’s ens calls for more speed, because pace VASIMHAHOV, on wrestler Marat Peng Shuai and Japan’s Kimiko already below-zero temperatures in Mongo- proved to be the team’s biggest handicap. Karishalov’s shyness. Date Krumm at the Aoti Tennis lia and we don’t have the facilities that are “In Mongolia, our national sport is wres- Center on Sunday, in ways that available in more developed countries. tling, so that’s why we have such strong “I am not a robot.” were annoying and delightful. “But we learned so much from this tour- forwards. But I think we need to find Japan tennis player KIMIKO DATE The conversation and move- nament and these guys are the future of some sprinters as sevens is much a faster KRUMM, on why she won’t be taking ment of thousands of fans on hand Mongolia rugby. What they learned here game,” he said. “We need to get the guys part in the 2014 Asiad when she will be to support Peng had the umpire they can teach the next generation.” to be fi t.” 44. calling for quiet several times AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE before the players could serve. Th e announcer and volunteers also repeatedly reminded the the breaks showed some surprised the previous shot, kissed the cheek About 30 teens dreaming of sent her best wishes to the potential spectators of proper etiquette. fans on the big screen. of the guy sitting next to him. careers in journalism visited IBC reporters and said she was looking for- Th is wasn’t the fi rst time that Before the start of the third set, and MPC and enjoyed eating ward to seeing them at future events. overly-exuberant fans had dis- the camera caught a young couple Media copycats alongside accredited journalists. “Th e regular reporters were so busy rupted big tennis match in China. just when the girl was kissing the “It was like being a real reporter that they ignored us as we were passing At the Beijing Olympic Games, boy’s cheek. When she discovered hit Asiad Town and I felt so excited about this by, ” said Fan Dafang, 16, a member of China’s Li Na shouted “Shut up!” it was being shown to everyone event,” said Bai Shanwen, presi- the students group organized by the to spectators in her match against in the stadium, she was too shy Several student reporters from dent of the Beijing Student Press teen press association. Dinara Safi na in the semifi nals. Li to face the camera and hid in her Beijing high schools began a Association. “We prepared our “I believe even the most delicious then lost the match. boyfriend’s arms as the audience four-day stay in the Asiad Town questions for the champions.” food in this world couldn’t satisfy the As for the lighter side, the erupted in laughter. Th e camera last Saturday, emulating the real Th e teen press group later inter- hunger and fatigue of these journalists mobile video camera that ran- then shifted to a middle-aged media personnel by reporting on viewed three female Chinese gold — but that hasn’t changed my dream domly panned the stands during man who, apparently inspired by their favorite events. medalists, including Luo Wei, who of being a real reporter one day.”.