IN BRIEF (Page 22)
Basketball
China take third straight victory by beating Taipei
The National B team earned their third straight victory at the FIBA Women's Asian Championships by thrashing Chinese Taipei 92-66 yesterday in Incheon, South Korea.
With the win, China will definitely finish among the top three of the Group. Although they lost to Japan in the opening game, the squad found their feet in the following three games.
The hosts South Korea currently lead the group after beating Japan 90-68 yesterday.
India are leaders in Group B after defeating Hong Kong 88-61. Hong Kong placed second.
China will face South Korea today and a win could help team overtake the host as group leaders.
Winter Sports
Jilin to hold skiing festival in summer
The 2006 Turin Winter Olympic champions Anna Dahlberg and Bjorn Lind of Sweden will head a group of world-class skiers to take part in a skiing festival held next weekend in Changbai Mountain in Jilin Province.
China will also send its elite skiers from its biathlon and cross-country national teams to participate in the tournament, the first ever skiing event held in summer time in China.
The tournament highlights include a 1200-meter sprint race plus a 600-meter race for children.
The organizers started to stock the snow in April so that there will be enough snow during the tournament.
The organizers also announced they will hold a bicycle festival at the foot of the mountain two months after the skiing event.
Aided by the Swedish Embassy and Nordic Ways, the organizers hope to build the festival into the Chinese edition of Sweden's famous Vatternrundan Bicycle Festival, a 42-year-old tournament, which annually attracts more than 17,500 cyclists around the world.
Miscellaneous
Fitness road show among 56 nationalities
"Wish-Beijing-good-luck" Wanglaoji 56 nationalities fitness campaign was launched on Tuesday at the Beijing Minzu Hotel.
The event, organized by the Social Sports Administration Center under the State General Administration of Sports and the Sports Association for China National Minorities and sponsored by the Jiaduobao Group, was held in answer to China's National Fitness and Olympic Program project.
The event includes over 300 fitness activities in over 100 cities in an effort to solicit autographs by over millions of ordinary citizens, and search and selection of good-wish ambassadors from the 56 nationalities. Winners will come to Beijing in July next year to take part in an event wishing success of the Beijing Olympic Games.
(China Daily 06/07/2007 page22)
