IN BRIEF (Page 23)

GOLF

Hu, Huang qualify at China Open

Amateur sensation Hu Mu emerged from a pack of professional golfers to finish as joint winner of the Volvo China Open final qualifying event in Beijing on Wednesday. He will now compete in the 156-man field at CBD International Golf Club in two week's time.

The Shenzhen-born teenager has played with high expectations since he was taken under the wing of golf guru David Leadbetter, and this week at Hong Hua International Golf Club he showed just why he is in a class of his own.

After a windless opening day in which the 18-year-old bogeyed his final two holes for a disappointing 3-over-par 75, typhoon-like winds blew in on day two and scores skyrocketed during a five-and-a-half-hour round.

Huang Yonghuan finished alongside Hu at the top of the leaderboard after a 7-over-par 79.

SOCCER

Goalkeeper suspended after bust-up with official

The Chinese Football Association has suspended Liaoning goalkeeper and assistant coach Jiang Tao for six matches and fined him 6,000 yuan ($860) after an altercation with a referee's assistant during the club's season opener against Chengdu.

Jiang, who was on the bench for last weekend's match, charged onto the field to remonstrate over an offside decision and was given the season's first red card after nearly coming to blows with the official, according to China news portal Sohu.com.

Shenzhen manager Mai Chao became the first coach sacked in the 2008 Chinese Super League season following the club's 2-0 loss to Shanghai Shenhua.

MISCELLANEOUS

Audi promotes green, passionate Olympics

Audi announced its 2008 Olympic action plan to support the Beijing Olympics earlier this week in Beijing. The plan focuses on the themes of a green Olympics, hi-tech Olympics and the people's Olympics.

The three-stage program was titled: "Passion for the Olympics, Green for the Olympics and Progressive Passion, and Moving for the Olympics."

Chinese Olympic champions Yang Ling (shooting), Kong Linghui (table tennis), Wang Tao (table tennis) and Gu Jun (badminton) were all present at the launch ceremony, which was held at Beijing's Chaoyang Park.

Shanghai to host X-games Asia

Fans can expect action-packed sports and entertainment when the X-Games Asia, Asia's signature action sports competition, returns to Shanghai's Jiangwan Stadium and will run from April 30 to May 3.

The event, organized by ESPN Star Sports with the Shanghai Media Group and the Shanghai Sports Bureau and sponsored by Kia Motors, is considered to be the pinnacle of Asian action-sports competition with some 200 athletes from more than 20 countries and regions competing. Chinese fans of action sports can look forward to world-class competitions in skateboarding, BMX freestyle, in-line skating and sport climbing, as well as a new competition called Moto X Step Up.

Organizers expect the 10th edition of the event to draw bigger crowds after last year's success in Shanghai.

(China Daily 04/04/2008 page23)