IN BRIEF (Page 22)

GOLF

Magazines select top 10 Chinese golf instructors

The selection of the top 10 golf instructors in 2007 was announced on Sunday in Beijing.

The selection, organized by Golf Magazine and GolfWeek, was held with an aim to enhance China's golf development by seeking out more talented Chinese golf instructors and improving their teaching skills.

The 10 winners were Wang Wei, Wang Lei, Zhu Tongtong, Nian Shaomei, Wu Xiangbing, Shen Hao, Lin Shaoru, Tang Jinchang, Xie Guohua and Wei Jingsheng.

China now has more than 200 professional golfers and instructors.

For the last 18 years, US-based Golf Magazine has selected the top 100 golf instructors in the United States.

BASKETBALL

Peak War-god Club set up to promote star hoopster

Retired Chinese national team basketball player Liu Yudong, nicknamed the "War-god", made his return to the CBA over the weekend. Formerly with CBA-champion Bayi, Liu has now signed a deal with the Fujian club.

In order to promote Fujian's new star, local sportswear maker Peak created the "Peak War-god Club" last week.

So far hundreds of fans have joined the club, showing their love for the never-say-die basketball player.

Peak has long been involved in sports. The nation's leading sportswear-maker also formed a partnership with the Iraqi Olympic Committee to support the troubled country's team ahead of next year's Beijing Olympic Games.

The latest effort is the offer of sportswear for China's astronauts during the successful launch of China's first lunar orbiter, Chang'e I. As the partner of the nation's space program since 2005, Peak was also involved in supporting spaceman during Shenzhou unmanned and manned spacecrafts launches.

(China Daily 10/31/2007 page22)