THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015 SPORTS Beijing’s 2022 bid joyful rendezvous upon pure ice and snow BEIJING: China came of age as an tomorrow, after Oslo, Stockholm, The bid team says it is keeping the bobsleigh track, and an Olympic village cal base,” he said. “So they need to hold Olympic power when it hosted the Krakow in Poland and Lviv in Ukraine budget down by using 11 venues from and Nordic skiing centre in a currently a big event to make Chinese people feel spectacular Beijing 2008, a display of all backed out because of budget wor- 2008 — a Games which was estimated to barren and windswept landscape. Wang good.” the unlimited resources and political ries. have cost more than $40 billion-includ- Hui, the bid’s chief spokesperson, told The 2008 Games were an unmistak- will some say are essential to its bid for Before Oslo withdrew in October, ing the Bird’s Nest stadium for the open- AFP that encouraging 300 million able statement of Beijing’s role on the the 2022 Winter Games. The capital Norwegian politicians said it was “criti- ing and closing ceremonies, and the Chinese into winter sports was a key aim. global stage, but Brownell said the emerged as the frontrunner for 2022 cal” that democratic countries who Water Cube aquatics centre for curling. “We want to show our country that out- motives for the 2022 bid were more — which would make it the first city “respect human rights” should want to Ice sports would take place in central door physical fitness is not something probably rooted in inter-regional rivalry. ever to host both summer and winter stage the Olympics. Beijing, alpine skiing, bobsleigh, skeleton that begins in April and ends in October,” Chinese state media announced Olympics-after a string of European But the Norwegian government and luge would be held in Yanqing in the she said. China’s bid in early November 2013, just cities withdrew last year citing public balked at the expected $5.5 billion capital’s suburbs, and Zhangjiakou, two months after the Japanese capital concerns over costs, leaving it facing cost, even after a string of cost-saving around 200 kilometres away, would host ‘JOYFUL RENDEZVOUS’ Tokyo won the right to host its second off against only the Kazakh city of proposals, including making IOC mem- the rest. The plan makes the bid one of Beijing’s bid is officially labelled a Summer Olympics in 2020. Almaty. bers pay for their own accommodation the most geographically spread-out pro- “Joyful rendezvous upon pure ice and They will follow the 2018 winter Vladimir Putin’s Russia spent more during the event. posals for a winter Games, making trans- snow”, and organisers say that 88 per- event in South Korea’s Pyeongchang. than $51 billion on the last winter China has no such concerns, said port links crucial-and some believe it’s cent of respondents in Beijing support- “China wants to keep up with them in games in Sochi, and while democratic Susan Brownell, a visiting professor at real costs are far higher, as the budget for ed it in an independent telephone poll the number of Olympics hosted, and South Korea will host the next, there Heidelberg University’s Institute of the event does not incorporate many for the IOC, rising to 92 percent for the would no doubt prefer to surpass them are human rights concerns over both Sinology. “It looks to me that the cost infrastructure improvements. country as a whole. if possible,” said Brownell, author of candidates for 2022. “The dictatorship of the Winter Games is paltry for the Chief among them is a high-speed rail The bid website states: “No organised “Beijing’s Games, what the Olympics is now the only direction to go,” said Xu Chinese government,” she said. line already under construction between activities against the bid for the Beijing means to China”. The bid team, however, Guoqi, author of “Olympic Dreams: Beijing and Zhangjiakou, which will cut 2022 Olympic Winter Games have been said Beijing 2022 had nothing to do China and Sports 1895-2008”. REUSING VENUES travel times between them from more found.” with propaganda. “This is not about “This is because the cost has been a Brownell said some of China’s than three hours to a mere 50 minutes. But Xu, a history professor at Hong winning gold medals, or staging a ‘com- concern for many, many hosts in the Olympic costs would come from its Chinese state media estimated its cost at Kong University, said it was intended to ing out party’ for our country for the past, so now European countries don’t national sports lottery, which distrib- $5 billion. promote the ruling Communist Party’s world to see; that was what 2008 was want to invest-except Russia.” uted $7.24 billion in 2014 — almost China will still have to build many top- legitimacy. for,” said spokeswoman Wang. “This The International Olympic twice as much as Beijing’s entire 2022 class winter sports facilities from scratch, “From a government perspective, time, we are doing it for the Chinese Committee decides between them budget of $3.9 billion. including the country’s first competitive they still need to legitimise their politi- people.” —AFP China’s Sun sets sights on golden haul in Kazan RUSSIA: Chinese swimming sensation Sun Yang At the 2013 world championships in cannot seem to escape the spotlight in or out of Barcelona, the 1.98 metre (6ft 6in) tall Sun the water, and at the world championships, start- scooped up three gold medals (400m, 800m and ing in Russia on Aug. 2, the towering freestyler will 1,500m freestyle) to join Australia’s Grant Hackett again be the name of everyone’s lips. as the only men to win the long-distance treble. A multiple world and Olympic gold medallist, The following year, with news of his three- Sun’s feats in the pool are already legendary but it month ban still secret, he openly taunted his is his exploits on dry land that have attracted the South Korean rival Park Tae-hwan at the Asian most attention in recent years. Games, but backed up his trash-talking on the At London in 2012, Sun became the first blocks by winning another three gold medals. Chinese man to win an Olympic swimming gold The stigma of serving a doping ban has done medal when he took the 400 metres and 1,500m nothing to dampen his enthusiasm as he sets his freestyle double. sights on next year’s Olympics in Rio, opting to In the three years since, however, his life has hit tackle four individual events in Kazan in his last troubled waters. In 2013 he found himself in hot big dress rehearsal. In addition to the three events water with Chinese swimming officials for missing he won in Barcelona, the 23-year-old has added training sessions and was suspended from engag- the 200m freestyle to his busy schedule, a race he ing in any commercial activities, which had flood- is now looming as one of the favorites in the ed in after his Olympic success. absence of American Michael Phelps, French He then fell foul of the law and spent a week in Olympic champion Yannick Agnel, Japan’s Asian jail for crashing a car that he had driven without a champion Kosuke Hagino and Korean Park. licence. China’s swimming authorities responded “When I was little, I watched Michael Phelps Missy Franklin in action in this file photo. by slapping a blanket suspension on him, banning compete in five or six events at a worlds, so I want him from all training and competition. to try it as well,” Sun recently told China’s official Last year it emerged Sun had secretly served a Xinhua news agency. “It will be a huge challenge three-month ban after testing positive for a for me. I’d rather keep the goal in my mind than Stars battle for world banned stimulant. The China Anti-Doping Agency speak it out.” could have imposed a longer ban but opted for a Although he did not need to swim at his best lenient punishment because Sun had been given to qualify for the 51-member Chinese team medication by a doctor to treat a heart issue and picked to compete at Kazan, Sun is still ranked titles in Kazan pool was unaware it had been added to the World Anti- second in the world in two events, and in the top Doping Agency’s banned list. eight in all his races, and his coach Zhang Yadong said he would be in top shape in Russia. BERLIN: With one eye on Rio de Janeiro, swimming’s the Dutch swimmer will be pushing the Australian sisters as world champion in the 400m, 800m and 1500m DRESS REHEARSAL “Sun is almost back to his peak,” Xhang stars begin the battle on Sunday for world champi- all the way. freestyle. Through it all, Sun remained unfazed. And in said. “Judging from his training, he is about 90 onship medals in Kazan to prove their form heading into Of the teenage talent to watch out for, 18-year-old After flopping in Barcelona in 2013 when she failed contrast to most of China’s top swimmers who try or 95 percent of his peak form.” The eight-day the 2016 Olympic Games. Australian Mack Horton has posted the world’s fastest to take a medal, Ye Shiwen, the Olympic 200m and 400m to avoid the limelight, his performances in the swimming programme in Kazan begins on The swimming section of the world aquatic champi- 400m and 800m freestyle times.