Sports in China

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Chinese tradition emphasizes the unity of body and mind, as a result of which Chinese competitions have taken on a more ceremonial and ritualized character. This changed in the modern age when China became a serious opponent in world sport. Right from the start, the development of modern sport ran parallel to political and social developments and was therefore subject to constant ups and downs.

history

To 1900

The sport developed very quickly in the Tang Dynasty . Numerous traditional and popular games were created. Together with the economic and cultural exchange, the international sporting contact became very intensive.

Even in earlier times there were competitions in China, but they had a different character than the western competitions. Since the belief in China was that body and mind form a unit, it was not right to compete in competitions that focused on physical strength. In the case of the noble , it was even believed that sport deterred honest work and could lead to addiction-like conditions. Nevertheless, sports such as horse riding , archery , wrestling and competition were practiced .

In the military sector, martial arts and archery were particularly encouraged. From the 9th century, women were also allowed to participate in archery, which developed into a popular activity. As training games for the army unit were hunting , polo and football .

For a time the emperors were against the practice of sporting activities. Athletes were suspected of being members of secret societies . In addition, they violated the law, which prohibited nudity in public, in whole or in part.

1900-1949

At the beginning of the 20th century, sporting associations emerged , which were founded by a few enthusiasts and gave the sport new impetus. But sport was only of minor importance at first; there were only a limited number of sports facilities , sports teachers and competition opportunities. Due to the economic framework, only the upper class came into contact with sport, as the lower class could not afford it.

After China's defeat in the second Sino-Japanese war , numerous reform models emerged with the aim of modernizing China. These models also discussed a comprehensive reorganization of education and sport as physical training. Thus, western sports moved into the country and were adopted especially in school sports . From 1908, several athletics competitions took place in Beijing , Shanghai , Nanjing and other major cities. The first Chinese Athletics - Championship was conducted 1910th By 1949, however, only twelve national title fights had been held. The first stadium was built in Beijing and had a capacity of 10,000 seats. In 1934 the first modern stadium with 40,000 seats was built in Shanghai.

Far Eastern Games

The Far Eastern Games were initially held every two years, in each uneven year. After 1927 and 1930 they were converted to the Olympic four-year cycle . Since 1913, China took part in the Far Eastern Games. The impetus for this was provided by the Christian Young Men’s Association (YMCA), which disseminated western sports in China. The YMCA also hosted the 2nd (1915), 5th (1921) and 8th (1927) Games in Shanghai. China participated until 1934 and then in all games that took place in Japan in the Philippines . The games lasted eight days and the games included track and field , swimming , tennis, baseball , basketball , soccer, and volleyball .

The Chinese were particularly successful in soccer. With the exception of two tournaments, the Chinese were able to claim victory. They also won 18 gold medals in athletics competitions. Five times they have been winners of volleyball tournaments and once each they have achieved first place in the overall swimming ranking as well as in basketball and tennis tournaments. In 1915 they won the games overall.

After 1934, the games no longer took place due to the political situation.

1950-2000

In 1949 the All-China Sports Federation was founded, which was responsible for state sports policy. To get the masses excited about sport, the first sports magazine, Neuer Sport , appeared on July 1, 1950 . Two years later, the "State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports of China" was established. The task of the two organizations was the sports business to develop primarily mass sports .

School instruction was made compulsory in schools until the second year of study from 1951. Numerous sports schools and sports universities were founded in order to advance the sport . The first Huadong Sports University was established in Shanghai. Sports universities in Wuhan , Beijing , Chengdu , Shenyang and Xi'an followed later .

In addition to the state organization, schools, companies and companies should also promote the sport. The aim was to improve the health of the people and at the same time to promote competitive sport . During this time the first cross-sport national team was founded. This team was trained centrally in Beijing. The research should be given a new significance. Therefore, the National Sports Science Research Institute in Beijing was established in 1958 and the Sports Science Research Institute in Shanghai in 1960.

National games were held for the first time in 1959. In the 1960s, China found itself in a severe economic crisis, which also affected sports. The sports system was centralized and the sports commission took over all power and administrative powers. This included a sports system with central planning and delegation to local and regional sub-commissions. The promotion of sports in the course of this concentrated on competitive sports, mass sports took a back seat.

During the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1967, all sport in China was thrown far back. The sports administration was under military control, sports universities and sports science institutions were closed, sports magazines were no longer allowed to be published. In addition, there was no longer any competitive sport, but the sporting business has never completely rested.

After the modernization and opening to the western world of China in the 1970s, the further development of the sport began. In 1971 China took part in the World Table Tennis Championships . This sporting event led to a resumption of diplomatic relations with the United States . At the same time, sports science institutions were reopened and national sporting events were held.

From the 1980s onwards, a large proportion of the Chinese (around 300 million) played sports and in 70% of all cities there were recreational and sports facilities and the first sports clubs were founded. In order to further spread the sport in schools and thus to attract sporting talent, guidelines for school sport and youth sport were laid down in the constitution of the People's Republic of China .

Numerous reforms were carried out after 1994. Twenty administrative centers for the sports disciplines were introduced with the aim of adapting sports administration to international standards in order to be able to keep up with the world's best. The first professional leagues were introduced and programs were created for the general public to promote the health of families. The "1-2-1 project" was part of one program. In this project, everyone should do sports at least once a day, master at least two training methods and have a medical examination once a year. Every family should own at least one piece of sports equipment , practice an outdoor sport twice a quarter, and own at least one sports magazine or sports book. In every neighborhood should a sports field are available and twice a year should be in the districts of a Fitness - Activity organized and a group of coaches are created. The project extended to schools, where every student was supposed to take part in a sporting activity program for one hour every day and take part in a health test once a year. Furthermore, trips had to be organized twice a year.

In 1997 the "Fitness-for-All" project started. Public equipment parks, sports halls and sports fields were built, which were financed by the sports lottery introduced in 1992. The State Commission for Physical Culture and Sport was replaced in 1998 by the General Administration for Sport (SSGA) due to a reform. This reform was intended to reduce the influence of the government , decentralize tasks and promote both amateur and competitive sport.

In 2000, Beijing received an extensive, state-of-the-art sports center with stadiums and halls for various sports, as well as buildings for sports institutes, research facilities and laboratories.

China and the Olympics

1910-1948

The Chinese Olympic Committee was founded in 1910, but was not recognized as a full member by the IOC until 1931 . In 1932, China first took part in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles with a six-person delegation . At the 1936 Games in Berlin , China started with 69 athletes, only one of whom reached a final fight. In 1948 in London , China started with a strong delegation. The main sports were athletics , swimming, cycling , basketball, soccer, tennis and volleyball.

1949–1956 Two China problem

In 1949 a “two state formation” was established in China. On the one hand the People's Republic of China in Beijing under the rule of Mao Zedong and on the other hand the Republic of China in Taiwan under the Kuomintang . This political situation was difficult for the IOC because, according to Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic Games should be independent of all political considerations. On February 15, 1952, a delegation from both sides traveled to Oslo for the IOC meeting, with the aim of obtaining sole legitimacy to participate in the games.

In June 1952, due to the opaque situation, both sides were banned from participating in the Summer Games in Helsinki , but a few weeks later the IOC's opinion changed and both sides were allowed to compete. Surprisingly, the Republic of China resigned shortly before the start of the Games, and only the People's Republic of China started. The controversy continued. In 1954, at the IOC General Assembly in Athens , it was decided that the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China should be recognized independently of one another. Neither side wanted to be satisfied with this decision. They protested against this decision with the demand to exclude the other side. The demands were rejected and both parties received an invitation to the Olympic Games in Melbourne . Due to a mistake, the flag of the People's Republic of China was hoisted for the Taiwanese athletes. The Taiwanese athletes tore the flag to cheers, whereupon the People's Republic of China boycotted the Games and withdrew from the IOC.

1960–1970 GANEFO

The Asian Games were recognized by the IOC and followed the Olympic principles. After the People's Republic of China succeeded in banning Taiwan and Israel from participating in the Games, the IOC decided to exclude the Asian Games from the Olympic movement .

After being excluded from the Asian Games, the People's Republic of China decided to host its own games. Thus in 1963 the first "Games of the New Emerging Forces" ( GANEFO ) took place. Jakarta was again selected for the venue , the financing was largely taken over by the People's Republic of China, which should also give it a leading role. More than 2,200 athletes from 48 nations took part in the games. Since all athletes who participated in the Games were banned from the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 , mostly secondary athletes were present. Because of the great success of the Games, they became a serious challenge for the Olympic movement. Success continued and the Olympic movement threatened to disintegrate. However, due to the poor internal political situation in China, the GANEFO was suddenly put to an end. In 1966 the People's Republic of China sank into political chaos, as a result of which the financial means to carry out the second GANEFO were lacking. After that, China disappeared from the sports scene by the early 1970s.

Deng Xiaoping

1971–1984 return from isolation

China looked for a new strong ally as its political relationship with the USSR deteriorated, with only the US coming into question as a new ally. The 31st Table Tennis World Championships in Japan in 1971 offered an opportunity to establish contact . During the Games, several friendships developed between China and the USA, which resulted in mutual visits and thus the opportunities for diplomatic contacts. This became known as ping pong diplomacy . This also gave me the chance to return to the IOC .

In 1974 the 7th Asian Games took place in Tehran . At these games, the People's Republic of China had its first international appearance after many years with 268 athletes. The focus was not on the competition, but on friendship. A year later, the People's Republic of China officially applied for re-admission to the International Olympic Committee. Since the World Table Tennis Championships, the People's Republic of China had developed a benevolent relationship with Canada , which led Canada to campaign for the re-admission of the People's Republic of China to the IOC. Due to the political tension, however, no agreement could be found and the Taiwanese government boycotted the Olympic Games from 1976 to 1984.

To get a personal impression of the political situation, the then IOC President Lord Killanin visited the People's Republic of China in 1977 and then Vice-President Juan Antonio Samaranch in 1978 . After Mao's death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping took Mao's place and advocated the coexistence of two different systems in the People's Republic of China under the slogan “ One country, two systems ”, both in the political, economic and sporting sense. In 1977 there was a vote on whether the People's Republic of China should be reopened. In the end, it was agreed that both sides would take part in the games, with Taiwan starting under the name “Chinese Taipei” with a flag and anthem specially created for the games.

Due to the long athletic isolation, it was decided to send athletes to training camps in Europe and America in preparation for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow . Trainers were also sent to the western world to gain experience and new training theories and methods. On July 28, 1984 in Los Angeles , the time had come when athletes from both parts of China moved into the Olympic Stadium. The Chinese gymnasts were particularly successful at these games. The Chinese weightlifters made their Olympic debut in the light weight classes and won gold four times.

1985-2004

China wanted to apply to host the Olympic Games. The 11th Asian Games in Beijing in 1990 were to serve as a test run. 6000 athletes from 36 countries took part in these games and the torch relay ran over a distance of 180,000 km. International observers, media and the IOC praised the organization of the Games. Thus nothing stood in the way of an official application by the city of Beijing on December 1, 1991 for the 27th Olympic Games in 2000 . The vote took place on September 23, 1993 in Monte Carlo . The decision was very narrow with 45 to 43 votes for Sydney . In the Olympic Games that followed, China showed that they can keep up with the world's best. At the games in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996 , the People's Republic of China each achieved 16 gold medals and fourth place in the national ranking. In Sydney 2000 they won 28 gold medals and third place, which they were able to surpass again at the 2004 Games in Athens by reaching 36 gold medals and second place in the national ranking. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Bid Committee was established on September 6, 1999 in preparation for the application for the 2008 Games . On July 13, 2001, the vote took place at the IOC General Assembly in Moscow , where the decision was made for Beijing.

An athlete's path

For a long time, improving one's own ability and acting together was the focus of sport, but more and more, victory moved into the focus of interest. Only young people who show talent , motivation and the necessary progress at an early age will receive further support. In order to be able to move up, only the successes achieved count.

There are already physical education classes in kindergarten and in schools the children come into contact with competitive sports for the first time. In schools and universities, there are two to three compulsory hours of sport per week. After school there is an hour of recreational sport , where there is the opportunity to pursue sporting preferences. Local and regional school competitions are held for the school sports teams. In secondary schools , the competitions also take place at the provincial level . In addition, two internal sports festivals take place in the schools each year. The schools are divided into three types. This includes normal schools, schools with a focus on sports and sports schools, which are actually training and talent development institutions. They serve as the basis for promoting talent. During school and recreational sport as well as during competitions, talents are spotted and, if the performance and disposition are appropriate, they are directed to the next level of the talent development system. In this sports school system , the athletes can move up or down depending on their performance, and if they do poorly, they can also leave the system.

Usually the young athletes start their training at the age of six and the girls even at the age of five. The targeted development of children into successful athletes takes place over three stages. The sports schools on the district, city and provincial level form the basis of the pyramid. After attending a recreational sports school for three years, the most talented have the chance to go to a sports boarding school . Children between the ages of six and nine are selected for this support level. In order to ensure optimal and successful training, school lessons are very short. At this point, the normal educational path is abandoned. Training and normal school lessons take place twice a day. The quality of education is much lower than in normal schools, which is why the athlete simultaneously loses regular educational opportunities . At the age of 13 to 15, many young people give up sport for a secure professional career. After several years of training, around 12% are selected for the provincial teams and thus achieve the promotion to professional athletes, the athletes are mostly between 14 and 18 years old. The athletes then move to the national or provincial centers. Outstanding talents train in the high-performance sports schools, where the highest level and the best possible conditions prevail. The last stage is then the selection for the national or Olympic team . Young athletes who are unable to improve their performance stay at the sports schools. There they still only receive an incomplete education with a “Zhongzhuan” certificate (similar to the Abitur) as a qualification. With this certificate it is difficult to get a place in the world of work.

A sports career is only worthwhile for the most successful. Athletes in sports centers receive free accommodation, meals, and free equipment with sportswear and a monthly salary of between 100 and 200 yuan . The salary is usually set aside for later, otherwise there are hardly any costs. Depending on the competition, the athletes receive different rewards when they win. The athletes receive up to 40,000 yuan (around 4,716 euros) for a Chinese champion, and 10,000 yuan (around 1,179 euros) for world championship titles or Olympic victories.

Since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens , the premiums for medals and placements up to eighth place have been increased. For an Olympic gold medal in Athens, an athlete received 200,000 yuan (19,674 euros). The premium for a silver medal was increased by a third compared to Sydney and amounted to 120,000 yuan (11,804 euros). The winner of a bronze medal was paid a prize of 80,000 yuan (7,870 euros).

Successful athletes can take on administrative tasks after their sports careers, complete a sports teacher training course or take up university studies . The sport gives the former athletes preferential treatment, as they receive a bonus for study time. However, a degree is problematic for a former athlete, as they usually received a poorer education. Athletes who cannot assert themselves to the top of their performance usually have only moderate career prospects, since without the higher school qualification they can also only fall back on a reduced school education.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f N. Sausmikat, K. Fritsche: Faster, higher, further: China is overtaking itself. Essen 2008.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i China Analysis 40 November 2004 ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on chinappolitik.de (PDF) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chinappolitik.de
  3. ↑ a b c d Bo Liu: Contemporary German and Chinese Sports Education in Comparison: Selected Examples. on esport.dshs-koeln.de (PDF, dissertation)
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Rolf von der Laage: Now the Chinese are coming. China's departure to become a major sporting power. Meyer & Meyer Verlag, Aachen 1994, ISBN 3-89124-238-7 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Helmut Digel and others: High-performance sport in China. Bräuer Verlag, Weilheim / Teck 2003.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Sport and Society in China on uni-tuebingen.de