Off to a good start ... and continuing with it

Expert's take | Wei Jizhong

As an English newspaper that connects China with the world, China Daily has done a lot for the communication between China and the rest of the world.

It has also done a lot for sports.

So far, China Daily has made two major contributions to sports and sports fans - letting the Chinese know more about international sports and letting the rest of the world know about China's sporting prowess.

Different media have different functions. Chinese media has always made comments, analyzed the performances and given valuable suggestions about China's sports.

These have helped the sports community undertake reforms and improve its performance.

China Daily has indeed done a lot in this aspect. It promotes China's sports to the world and gives China's sports its own voice in the world.

It has also answered many of the complex questions about China's sports to foreigners and given a clear picture of the nation's sporting capabilities.

When the foreign media questioned the ages of Chinese athletes recently, China Daily allayed most of the fears with its solid facts and rational analysis.

The newspaper has also brought international sports to Chinese people.

From the beginning, China Daily was the only newspaper that carried pure foreign sports reports, as most of the others localized them.

To be a better connection between China's sports and the world, China Daily should stick with these reporting principles in the future.

To further improve its reporting, it should make more independent comments on international sports and not rely only on foreign agencies.

I noticed that China Daily has already made a beginning with some foreign columnists giving opinions on foreign sports. It's a good start.

I believe China Daily will continue to play its special role in the communication of China's sports and the rest of the world.

The author is the president of the International Volleyball Federation, former secretary-general of the Chinese Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia honorary life vice-president.

(China Daily 06/01/2011 page58)