IN BRIEF (Page 22)
BASKETBALL
Lakers star Bryant to visit Beijing next month
NBA All-star guard Kobe Bryant will launch his five-city tour of Asia on September 5.
Organized by NIKE, the Bryant bandwagon will make stops in Manila, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
He will host training clinics with local kids to help hone their skills.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Asia to see the progress the kids have made since my visit last summer and to train those I didn't meet," the Los Angeles Lakers star said. "I liked what I saw then and I'm planning to work the kids even harder this time to give them a better sense of my training regiment."
Nike and Bryant will also introduce a new version of the Kobe II as part of its 2007 autumn basketball footwear line.
BASEBALL
Annual tournament for youngsters wraps up
The 18th Beijing International Boys and Youth Baseball Friendship Tournament ended on Tuesday at the Beijing Muxiyuan and the Beijing Lucheng Sports Schools.
The annual event, organized by the Beijing Sports Bureau, the Beijing International Sports Exchange Center and the Beijing Baseball Association, attracted 11 teams from the United States, Australia, Chinese Taipei and Chinese mainland.
A team from Kaohsiung won the elementary hardball competition while the Beijing Capital Normal University's Yuxin school took the high school hardball title.
More than 6,000 children, from the United States, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Russia, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Chinese mainland, have taken part in the event throughout its history.
Canoeing
Athletes join forces at Shunyi for test event
More than 110 athletes from 17 countries and regions will take part in the "Good Luck Beijing" Canoe/Kayak Slalom China Open today at Shunyi's Olympic venue.
Participants include Athens Olympic C1 Canoe Single champion Tony Estanguet and women's world No 1 K1 Kayak paddler Jana Dukatova,
The Chinese Canoe/Kayak team has sent 35 athletes to compete including all who will attend Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
Xin Qunying, vice-president of Chinese Canoe Association, said in a conference on Wednesday that the Chinese team would not perform at the level of world powers Germany and Slovakia.
The team's aim is to strive to reach the top ten in each event.
"Beijing residents, especially residents in Shunyi, are enthusiastic to watch the competition," Xin said.
"All the tickets have already been sold out, and many people without a ticket kept calling the organizers for extra tickets."
(China Daily 08/16/2007 page22)
