IN BRIEF (Page 22)

SOCCER

Young flag bearers show up for Women's World Cup

About 144 flag bearers and 20 budding journalists were selected from the Sony Football Fun Park summer vacation camp earlier this week to attend the Women's World Cup across China next month.

A Mini World Cup was also held at the National Football Training Center in Xianghe, Hebei Province, where children had the chance to play and further develop their interest in the sport.

Sony Corporation has signed a global partnership with International governing body FIFA, and is driving grassroots development in China via the Sony Football Fun Park.

About 3,000 children have taken part in it over the past five months in Wuhan, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu and Hangzhou, the five co-hosting cities for the Women's World Cup.

The contract with FIFA will run from 2007 to 2014 with a value of $305 million.

MISCELLANEOUS

Beijing hosts Paramotor world championships

The 5th World Microlight Paramotor Championships will be held in Beijing from September 1 to 9 near the Ming Tombs Reservoir.

It will be the first time a high-level paramotor event has been held in China.

Four competition categories - the PF1 (individual without wheels) PF2 (pair without wheels), PL1 (individual with wheels) and PL2 (pair with wheels) - will be featured.

The three tasks are precision landing, economy flight and navigation.

Organized by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale FAI, the China Aero Sports Federation and the Beijing Flying Man Sports Equipment Co Ltd, the event will attract 108 athletes from 22 countries and regions including Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Hungary, South Africa, Ukraine and host China.

The inaugural championships were held in Hungary in 1999.

Nanjing hosts third biggest outdoor fair

NANJING: The 2007 Asian Outdoor Trade Fair opened in the capital city of Jiangsu Province yesterday and will run until Sunday.

The fair is the third largest of its kind in the world after the European Outdoor and Salt Lake City Outdoor Trade Fairs.

More than 200 domestic and overseas sportswear companies are exhibiting their wares including world-renowned brands Deuter, Duraflex, Loap, Mountain Hardwear, Mountain Smith and Suunto.

During the four-day event, outdoor photography, cross-country and climbing contests will be held.

Founded in 2006, Nanjing will host the fair every year in a bid to promote outdoor sports in China and Asia.

(China Daily 08/24/2007 page22)