China's winter game ambitions heat up

BEIJING - the Vancouver Olympics to draw to a close, China's sports equipment is quietly put on a clinic in how the medals standings to climb.

China has poured increasing resources in the games after snagging the most gold medals in the Beijing Olympics two years ago. As of Wednesday, with four days left of Olympic Games, it had eight medals won, bound for the ninth Switzerland with Sweden. At the Winter Olympics in Turin, four years ago won 11.

AFP/Getty Images China Beixing Wang competes in speed skating.

But four of China's medals so far are gold, double haul of Turin and its highest total in the play, and it looks continue its efforts. In contrast is considering Canada, a similar program cut, after the nation near leader in the overall medal table still not go.

So far, the gold has come in areas where had China was expected to do well: speed skating and freestyle skiing. But it also won the gold medal in figure skating – even though the duo of Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao was unranked.

Thursday, lost that amazing said team that favourites for gold has been seen in the semifinals, but coach was Daniel Rafael performance Chinese women's curling when you consider that the players in their 20s were when teams curlers fielded most in their 40s.

"I think you well for a number of 20-year-olds Olympic action," said Mr Rafael. "Experience counts."

China's Olympic Games winnings to come even as civil servants, it say only 30 default size nationwide and virtually no public participation in other winter sports ice rinks.

"The Olympics are about changing China's image," says Donnie Pei, a historian of Chinese sports on the capital Institute of sports, a college. "" We used the ' sick man of Asia "be called and now want we show that we think not so weak as you."

The Government is obliged, expand mass participation. Last year he spent $ 60 million, caused by a lottery on public sports, up to 40 million $ in 2007. An additional $15 million went to pilot projects in rural China, where facilities are particularly scarce.

Officials say that the expenditure has more fitness with elevation as ordinary people to do. Liu Peng, head of the General Administration of sports in China, said in a recent State media interview that China has "a great sporting land" to move to a "high-performance sports country."

These objectives are on display at the Chinese winter sports administrative center in Beijing. The offices are Spartan, but the great ambitions: the rivals of Germany and Austria of the world Internetradiostream ask a country with almost no winter sporting tradition.

China made its Olympic debut in 1980 at the Lake Placid, New York in the United States with his best result a 18-place finish in women's slalom. The country began to target, where strengthen China's in the game come may, sport, said the Director of the winter sports centre, Zhao Yinggang. That meant that money for sports such as freestyle skiing, snowboarding and speed skating.

"These sports are easier to get for Chinese athletes to results in a short time", said Mr Zhao. "Some of you are similar to the summer sports where Chinese athletes are more competitive."

For example, is one of China's top medal prospects Han Xiaopeng, who won the gold medal at the Turin Games in the freestyle skiing aerials and is due to compete in Vancouver this week. Mr Han comes from moderate Jiangsu province that has only a venue for its 75 million people. But Mr Han was an expert glass and attended a famous acrobatic gymnastics sports school in Peixian. Mr Han the freestyle ski team was recruited at the age of 13. Mr Zhao said "he already skills had, that could be used". Chinese athletes are recruited young and systematic training given, he said.

This results-oriented focus helped his first winter medals, two silvers in speed skating, China win the 1992 games. The real breakthrough was a decade later, speed skater Yang Yang won the women 500 - and 1000-meter events. In Turin, China won two gold, four silver and five bronze medals in ninth place finish.

As in the games, China is weaker in team sports that require a higher number of elite athletes for a gold medal and considered to be relatively inefficient investments. But early this week, China won its first women in 12 ice hockey game and finished the tournament in seventh place. This year best recording for team might be gold China Friday in an unlikely sports, curling, where the women's national team won the World Cup and spent a part of the year training in Canada has.

Some question whether geography China will hold back. Most of the land is relatively warm with little snow. Like most people in China's winter sports program comes Mr. Zhao, Director of the Center from the Northeast or Manchuria, the only densely populated part of the country with winter-like conditions. Although it contains only three China's 30 provinces and territories, still home to 108 million people together in the more than the population of the winter sporting powers Germany, Switzerland, Austria Norway.

"We need more of a Foundation, but that will come," said Mr Zhao. "Each year we keep improving piece for piece."

-Adam Thompson contributed to this article.

Write toIan Johnson in the ian.johnson@wsj.com

View the original article here