IN BRIEF (Page 22)
Soccer
Eight teams qualify for Super League finals
The second stage of the Yaojipuke Cup China Women's Soccer Super league came to and end over the weekend after the completion of the north and south zone matches.
Shanghai, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Guangdong from the south and the Tianjin, Dalian, Hebei and Shandong from the north qualified for the finals to be held in December.
No national team players took part in the competition due to preparations for the FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in China in September.
Shanghai Yaojipuke playing cards company signed earlier this year to be the title sponsor for five national women's soccer tournaments - the FA Cup, the Super Cup, the Super League, the national championship and the South-North Challenge, an unprecedented act in women's soccer sponsorship.
Miscellaneous
Wushu and symphony combined in show
To promote the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a huge square art show - Fenghuangyongtan (Chart of Phoenix), a combination featuring Wushu and symphony, will be put on stage next year.
The show goes combines the traditional Chinese sport with background symphony music, marking the first time that Wushu and symphony have played on the same stage.
It is seen as an important effort to establish the nation's sports culture and spread it throughout the world.
Organized by China Sports Daily and China Wushu Association, the campaign is also part of the celebrations of the newspaper's 50th anniversary since publication, and a major program for next year's International Olympic Day on June 23th.
National University Sports Journalists Club set up
To better exchange ideas about Chinese university sports and development, the National University Sports Journalists Club was set up in Beijing on Saturday, also the annual International Olympic Day.
Around 20 journalists representing different organizations joined the club and promise to help combine sports and education and promote university sports to a new level.
China has been aware of the importance of education for sport and its university sports are developing rapidly.
In the 2005 World Universiade Games, China university sports delegation finished second with 21 golds, 16 silvers and 12 bronzes.
In the World Universiade Winter Games of the same year, China grabbed 3 golds, 6 silvers and 6 bronzes, finishing eighth place.
Apart from international competitions, nationwide leagues ranging from soccer amd basketball to tennis among universities are also gaining increasing popularity and developing a number of promising players.
(China Daily 06/26/2007 page22)
