Top shot

Volleyball

Paralyzed national player able to sit, stand up

Chinese men's volleyball player Tang Miao, who's injury last year potentially left him paralyzed for life, is now able to stand up with the help of a treatment apparatus 20 days after the Shanghai-born player moved to Beijing for further recovery.

Tang was injured last year on June 15 during a training session in Russia with his Shanghai team when he lost his balance while jumping, hitting his head hard on the floor, leaving him unconscious and with serious damage to his cervical vertebrae.

Initial reports said he might suffer from paralysis for the rest of his life.

But he has shown encouraging improvements recently and took his first recovery training on Tuesday.

During the training, Tang successfully sat in a wheelchair for the first time since he was injured and was able to stand up four times with the help of a treatment apparatus.

Diving

English teacher invited to enrich team's preparations

As a way to enrich players' Olympic preparations and intensify their mental conditioning, China's diving team, dubbed the "Dream Team" due to its overwhelming dominance in the sport, has invited an English teacher to give language lessons, organize speech contests and set up a yoga class during the team's winter session in Jinan, Shandong province.

"We are aiming to keep them healthy both physically and mentally," said team manager Zhou Jihong. "Giving English lessons is also not just improving their language. We hope they will pay extra attention to something else. It will help release the pressure on their shoulders."

The players are now fighting for the final spots during one of the Olympic qualifying competitions, which started yesterday in Jinan.

Zhou said the list will not be determined immediately but the performances during the competitions will be put into consideration.

Miscellaneous

Program for Mt Qomolangma volunteers launched

The selection program for the volunteers of the 2007 Mt Qomolangma Action At The Third Pole Of The Earth (MATPE) was launched over the weekend in Beijing.

MATPE is an environmental protection campaign, aiming to increase people's awareness to keep clean the world's highest mountain and, with the Beijing Olympic torch relay coming to Mt Qomolangma in May, this year's campaign is set to be closely linked to the "Green Olympics" theme.

Though the task of physically collecting rubbish at such altitudes in Tibet has proved a tough one in previous years, more people are aware of the importance of environmental protection and want to take part in the campaign.

People who pass some basic conditioning physical examinations have the chance to challenge themselves. Organizers of MATPE revealed they will ultimately select 20 volunteers from around the world.

People who are interested in the volunteering campaign can log on http://2008.sina.com.cn/everest2008 for more information.

(China Daily 01/10/2008 page23)