Chinadaily Homepage
      | Home | Destination Beijing | Sports | Olympics | Photo |  
      2008Olympics > In Depth

    Games coxes selected on reality show

    By Li Jing (China Daily)
    Updated: 2006-10-20 08:51
    Can an ordinary person, without years of strenuous training, become an Olympic medal hopeful?

    Some people in China believe it is possible, as a coxswain, who steers a rowing-boat in the men's and women's eight rowing events. And he or she may be selected through an open competition with the help of a reality TV show like American Idol.

    Games coxes selected on reality show
    Though the competition has encountered suspicions and doubts since it was launched in September, thousands of Chinese, from low-income earners to rich businessmen, from teenagers to the elderly, are taking part in the competition with the dream to become an Olympian.

    Each of the 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions on the Chinese mainland has picked 10 candidates - five men and five women - after heated contests judged by panels of experts which included rowing coaches, psychologists and kinesthesiologists.

    The 310 candidates will soon enter the second phase of the competition, an Internet-based contest which requires them to use personal blogs and instant message tools to prove themselves to all netizens, whose voting will play a major role in the selection.

    A total of 80 candidates will be chosen by November, after which 20 finalists will be voted on by judges and TV audiences in weekly reality shows that will test stamina, leadership skills and ability to withstand stress.

    Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, called the contest an "interesting initiative" and hoped that "the competition will have a positive impact on the development of sports and Olympic values in China."

    Some people, though, have expressed concern over an event that combines sports and entertainment.

    Krzysztof Korzeniowski, head coach of the US national men's rowing team, warned China to be more cautious in the reality-show style competition.

    "It's a very interesting and innovative idea but also a risky one," Korzeniowski said.

    "You are going to take someone who may have never been in a boat. There is a lot for them to cover in two years," the coaching guru observed when he visited Beijing last week. But he also acknowledged that on-the-spot performance is as important as experience. "Even a veteran coxswain might make mistakes. A nationwide search for a potential great coxswain might be an effective way to make a miracle in the rowing events."

    Huang Xiaoping, a national rowing team coach, justified the contest:"It might seem dubious that someone could become skilful enough to become an Olympian just in one year, but coxswains are a unique breed of athlete, relying more on their mental agility and powerful vocal chords than bulging brawn."

    Wei Di, head of the Water Sports Administration Centre under the General Administration of Sports, said the competition is not just a reality show. It is intended to encourage everybody in China to take part in the Olympic celebration.

    Unlike table tennis, diving and gymnastics, in which China has traditionally been strong, western-style rowing does not have a large following in the world's most populous country. The organizers, the State General Administration of Sports and China Central Television (CCTV), the State-run TV monopoly, believe the reality-show style contest for coxswain will rally the public behind the obscure sport and create a new Chinese rowing tradition.

    Coxswains currently on China's national team will also take part.

    "The coxswains of our national team should join in the competition, otherwise the whole exercise would just be fooling the public," Wei said.

    Zheng Na, a coxswain in the national women's team, is among the current ten winners in the Beijing venue. She has 15 years of experience as a coxswain and has participated in many world-class events.

    "Compared with other participants, I have more experience in rowing," Zheng said. "But the competition itself serves as a learning course and all participants, including myself, have learnt a lot from one another."

    Coach Huang said the professional coxswains will not have every advantage in the competition. "Professional coxswains are rich in experience, but the green hands have more curiosity to learn and to win," Huang said. "And the competition includes few requirements of professional knowledge and skills."

    Can China train world-class coxswains in two years if it starts with the right raw material? We are going to find out.



    中文字幕人妻在线视频不卡乱码| 欧洲精品久久久av无码电影| 亚洲Av无码专区国产乱码DVD| 亚洲国产精品无码久久青草 | 国产精品无码不卡一区二区三区| 中文字幕国产第一页首页| 无码人妻少妇久久中文字幕| 精品久久久久久久无码| 在线观看免费无码专区 | 最近2019年免费中文字幕高清| 国产午夜鲁丝无码拍拍| 久久亚洲日韩看片无码| 欧美视频中文字幕| 中文字幕丰满伦子无码| 日韩人妻无码精品无码中文字幕| 亚洲AV无码第一区二区三区| 国内精品人妻无码久久久影院导航 | 综合久久久久久中文字幕亚洲国产国产综合一区首 | 亚洲中文字幕无码一去台湾| 久久精品?ⅴ无码中文字幕| 日韩人妻无码精品久久久不卡| 精品国产aⅴ无码一区二区| 中文精品久久久久人妻| 最近中文国语字幕在线播放视频 | 亚洲乱码中文字幕手机在线| 91中文字幕在线| 婷婷五月六月激情综合色中文字幕| 日日日日做夜夜夜夜无码| 最近中文字幕完整版资源| 日韩高清在线中文字带字幕 | 综合国产在线观看无码| 人妻少妇无码视频在线| 国产成人无码精品一区在线观看 | 99久久人妻无码精品系列蜜桃| 亚洲国产精品无码久久SM| 在线播放无码后入内射少妇| 成人麻豆日韩在无码视频| 免费无码一区二区三区蜜桃| 中文字幕人妻无码专区| 亚洲AV无码专区国产乱码4SE| 日韩精品无码一区二区中文字幕|