New goals in sight

China has its sights set on being a world soccer power within the next few decades. But another form of the game is beginning to make its presence felt in the country

In China, the world's most popular sport has packed up its gear and headed to the beach for some summertime fun. No longer is the game largely confined to green pitches, many of them the centerpiece of giant soccer stadiums, during the colder months, but is now played on the likes of the golden sands of Copacabana Beach in Brazil.

But if you are going to give an old game a new twist, why restrict it to one of the world's leading soccer nations? And indeed why stop at beaches?