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.