Ping Pong ~ Not what it used to be.

Beijing, August 5: China still dominates the world at table tennis and its supremacy is unlikely to be challenged at the Olympics but the seeds of a decline may already have been sown in the parks and playgrounds of Beijing.
For many Chinese like 72-year-old retiree Xu Tianwu, table tennis is more than a game.
It is the national sport that brought glory to China from as early as the 1950s and even played a major role in international relations during the ping pong diplomacy period of the 1970s.
National team members are lionised, and former stars like Olympic and world champion Deng Yaping are household names.
"The reason so many Chinese consider our table tennis players to be heroes is because they bring honour and glory to China," said Xu.
"For me, ping pong keeps me happy and healthy," he said as he played his daily three-hour stint at one of the tables found in every Beijing park.
"I hope I'll still be playing when I am 80."
However, not far from the park where Xu plays his daily ping pong marathon, others are enjoying a different, more edgy experience in the Dongdan open-air basketball ground just east of central Tiananmen Square.
"Basketball lights up my life, it's the only fun for me and I play as much as I can," said Zhao Chao, 18, who says he puts in at least an hour on the court each day.
Image matters to younger Chinese -- and table tennis is seen more and more as the game of an older generation who had no other leisure choices.
The British-born game was imported into China in the early 20th century and became so popular that many Chinese believe that it is their own invention along with gunpowder and printing.
"Ping pong expresses the dexterity, speed and agility of the Chinese," said Xu.
Easy to learn and cheap to play, the sport gained a wide following after the founding of communist China in 1949. It brought China its first taste of international sporting glory with a world title in 1959.
Under late strongman Mao Zedong -- who launched the 1950s slogan "Develop a sports movement, stengthen the physical condition of the people" -- table tennis was the diplomatic tool for a rapprochement with Washington.
In 1971, Mao invited the US table tennis team to China for a series of friendly matches that ended a lengthy period of enmity and set the wheels in motion for the 1979 normalisation of US-China ties.
At the Beijing Olympics, table tennis, with four gold medals almost assured, is also the sport the could help the host nation dominate the medal standings for the first time ahead of the United States.
Even though Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming is likely to get widespread media attention, Pierre Justo, head of media and research at CSM Media Research/TNS Sport, says it is too early to write ping pong's epitaph.
Table tennis has to face up to some serious challenges, including the younger generation's growing affluence and their taste for other sports.
"But table tennis is still a major sport because unlike football and basketball, it touches every single Chinese person," he said.

Bush & his views on China

Bush Says It's 'Important to Engage' China

A Mixed Appraisal on Eve of Visit

Bush said that he speaks candidly with Chinese President Hu Jintao about human rights, particularly religious freedom, and that he has shared his religious beliefs with Hu and Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, urging them to lift restrictions on underground churches.

"My main objective in my discussions on religious freedom is to remind this new generation of leadership that religion is not to be feared but to be welcomed in society," Bush said in an interview. Asked whether he thinks he is making an impact on Hu, he replied: "Oh, I think he listens, absolutely. I think he's interested. . . . He absorbs, he takes in, he listens."
Bush said China must do more to pressure repressive governments in Burma and Sudan, where he suggested Beijing's interest in acquiring raw materials to fuel China's booming economy is conflicting with an interest in stopping the killing in Sudan's Darfur region. But he skirted a question about a pre-Olympics security drive by Chinese authorities that human rights advocates call a crackdown on dissent.


"They're hypersensitive to a potential terrorist attack," Bush said. "And my hope is, of course, that as they have their security in place, that they're mindful of the spirit of the Games, and that if there is a provocation, they handle it in a responsible way without violence."
The president has been criticized by some lawmakers and human rights groups for his decision to attend the Games. He explained his rationale: "One of the reasons I'm going is because I want to show respect to the Chinese people, and this is a proud moment for China."

Bush also grappled with how to gauge openness and freedom in China today. "I mean, this is a closed society in many ways," he said. "The Internet provides interesting opportunities for people to express themselves. Sometimes it's open, sometimes the filters are there. I've talked to the evangelicals who go there who feel like the underground church movement has gotten a few steps forward, a step-and-a-half back. It's really hard to tell."

During a half-hour interview in his private office aboard Air Force One, Bush emphasized that it is "important to engage the Chinese" -- a striking comment for a president who came to office with aides depicting China as a "strategic competitor" and surrounded by hawks who looked suspiciously upon the Chinese government. Even critics of the president say he has emerged as an unexpected diplomat with China, conducting a personal campaign to woo the senior Chinese leadership.

The president was on his way to Alaska for a brief rally with troops before flying to Seoul for the first stop of a seven-day trip to Asia, culminating this weekend with an appearance at the opening ceremonies in Beijing, attendance at athletic events, worship at a Chinese church, and meetings with Hu and other officials.

Bush's planned meeting with Hu at the Olympics this month will be his 15th meeting with a Chinese president. His visit to China will be the fourth of his presidency; no other U.S. president has visited China more than once.
Over the course of his administration, Bush has delivered for China in important and unexpected ways: A president who in his early days made a guarantee to defend Taiwan later warned the island against declaring independence and has established what China experts see as a de facto freeze on arms sales to Taiwan. After angering China by labeling North Korea part of an "axis of evil," Bush led a diplomatic initiative aimed at cooling tensions on the Korean Peninsula. While critical of China on human rights, Bush has not hectored authorities in Beijing. authorities.
He and his advisers say his approach has paid off: The United States has secured Chinese help on North Korea and Iran while avoiding a blowup in the Taiwan Strait, despite the intense passions and military buildups on both sides.

CHINA Versus USA ~ Who will win the Golds?

The New, Big International Sports Rivalry — U.S. Vs. China


The U.S. has won the most gold medals at every Summer Olympics since 1996. Now it's China's turn. At least, that's what forecasters are saying. The time and place of the games will make for some intense competition between the two countries.

The first big showdown is the men's basketball game on Aug. 10. The advantage there clearly goes to the U.S. Also, women's gymnastics could be especially dramatic. The two teams are the best in the world.

My monies are on the Host nation to win most medals. They have home advantage, have put plenty of preparation into their athletes and USA are over the top!!

Looking forward to the Olympics

I'm really looking forward to the Olympics ~ after all I've been waiting 4 years since the last one!

I'm sure China will put on a great games ~ their preparation has been meticulous. I have been a China-Observer now for about 10 years and I have watched a nation in the painful process of change and development ~ and so much has changed for the better.

Good Luck China in your Games!!!!!!