IN BRIEF (Page 22)

CYCLING

Olympic cycling test race set to go

Nineteen teams have registered to take part in the Good Luck Beijing 2007 International Road Race on August 18 and 19, organizers say.

The event is one of many test runs for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The 13 national and regional teams are China, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Australia, the United States, Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Holland and Poland. There are also five pro teams from Indonesia, Australia, Marco Polo, Giant, Shimano and the local Beijing team.

Among them Italy, Spain, Russia, Australia and the United States are strong gold medal contenders for next year's Olympics.

Competition facilities are ready and working staff have been getting special training. Security, competition programs, maintainance vehicles and doping control have all been arranged smoothly.

SOCCER

Messi ends whirlwind China tour

Spanish League giant Barcelona's Argentine talent Lionel Messi ended a frenetic two-day tour of China last weekend.

As part of the Pepsi Superstar China Tour, Messi visited four cities - Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Jinan - where he met his fans, showed his brilliant football skills and got a taste of traditional Chinese activities, such as kicking a shuttlecock, painting and calligraphy.

His individual visit has been cheered by Chinese fans as a compensation for his absence from Barcelona's China Tour early next month. Pepsi has blitzed print and online mediums and also unveiled Messi-limited-can products. Messi joined the Pepsi Football superstar matrix campaign earlier this year.

MISCELLANEOUS

Fitness club ticking all the boxes and more

More than 100 fitness professionals from CSI Bally Total Fitness Tutors were the first among thousands of counterparts to receive Occupational Skill Test Authority (OSTA) certification from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Company president Wan Lihua said all staff were required to reach national standards for providing customers scientific fitness regimes in a bid to lead the Chinese fitness market to a higher standard of professionalism.

Bally Total Fitness now has more than 30 outlets around the country. It has employed 85 retired Chinese athletes so far in such sports as cycling, gymnastics, wrestling, volleyball, fencing, handball, and rowing.

(China Daily 07/25/2007 page22)