From Chinese Press

From elite to popular sports

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-27 08:41

Having achieved glory in the Olympics, China should no longer neglect the development of popular sports, says an article in the Oriental Morning News. Excerpts:

Juan Antonio Samaranch, the former president of the International Olympic Committee, died on April 21. He was a consistent supporter of sports this nation.

While we grieve over his death, we should reflect on the current development of sports. It's true that China boasts a substantial number of Olympic medals; however, this nation has failed to allow everyday people to have access to popular sports.

China's sports facilities per capita ranks behind 50 nations, while its sports population ranks behind at least 80 nations.

Having topped the medal tally at the 2008 Summer Olympics, it is time for China to shift focus from concentrating entirely on elite sports to the progress of popular sports.

It would be a consolation to Samaranch to turn this nation that he supported and befriended into a complete sports giant, instead of one simply oriented toward the Olympics.