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SEPTEMBER 8 , 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 35 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK Taiwan
| South Korea
| Japan
| Singapore
| Hong Kong
| Indonesia
| Malaysia
| Thailand
| Philippines
By JIANG XUEQI Beijing Caution has been the watchword for China's Sydney Olympics campaign. While it will send its largest team (311 athletes) of any Games, medals predictions have been largely muted. Creating false expectations is never a good idea, of course. And some very high-profile hopefuls have been cancelled out through improved drug-testing facilities in China — supplemented by the determination of local authorities to detect the more blatant cheats. But the bottom line is Beijing, 2008. Now on the shortlist of candidates to stage the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, China is determined not to put a toe out of place as it awaits the final vote next July. That said, China again will easily better its Asian colleagues when the final medals are tallied. Conservative estimates have put the gold-medal haul at between 16 and 20. Strong across the sporting board, China also is expected to dominate two events making their Olympic debut: synchronized diving and women's weight-lifting, which will supply 11 new gold medals. It also can expect some successes in swimming, athletics, shooting, table tennis, gymnastics and soccer. By far the best chances, however, can be found among the women divers. A star at Barcelona in 1992 — when she became the youngest diver, at 13, to capture platform gold — Fu Mingxia followed up with outstanding success at Atlanta, taking both the platform and springboard honors. That made her the first woman in Olympic diving history to claim three gold medals. (Only U.S. divers Greg Louganis and Pat McCormack have matched that total.) And despite Fu's retirement for two years after Atlanta to pursue an economics degree, the diving world will be shocked if she does not expand her gold collection in Sydney. Ironically, 22-year-old Fu's main individual rival will be her synchronized partner, Guo Jingjing. Guo, 19, has been a consistent winner in international lead-up competitions and is the favorite for springboard gold. Since conventional wisdom deems that Fu and Guo are too "old" and "heavy" for the platform competition, both will stick to the two springboard events. But fame has exacted a price from Fu, and these days she rarely escapes media attention. After winning last year's World University Games platform gold in Spain in her comeback competition, the demands were almost overwhelming. "In 1992, I didn't think of anything and I got the gold medal," Fu says. "Now, I have to overcome psychological handicaps." Such a problem is unlikely to upset China's women's soccer team — unless the rage for revenge can be considered detrimental to chances of victory. Star striker Sun Wen and the Chinese team rose to prominence during the Women's World Cup in the U.S. last year, barely losing to the U.S. team in the final. Team captain Sun Wen, 27, was honored as the tournament's most outstanding player — but it hardly atoned for defeat. Since the cup, China's Roses, as the team is known, has slumped somewhat. Sun Wen has been inundated by media attention — profiled constantly on state television and now the subject of a film (Women's Football Player No. 9). Her sudden fame and wealth have irked her teammates and invited increased media scrutiny of her personal life. Such interest is anathema to Sun Wen, a quietly spoken intellectual who enjoys writing poetry in seclusion. Early this year she was criticized by her coach for under-performing. Then in June, during a tournament in Australia, she was injured, further disrupting her Olympic preparation. Fortunately, the striker recovered quickly. But her problems have been mirrored in the team's decline. Last year it seemed as though the Roses could not lose, dominating the post-World Cup tournaments. This year the team has failed to make a major final. The losses have done little for morale and the team also has been unlucky in the Olympic draw, where its first-round group comprises the confident U.S., swift Norway and brawny Nigeria. Only two countries can progress. Still, the Roses and Sun Wen will have to beat the best in any case to claim gold. And they are still the favorites to confront the U.S. for the final prize. On the shooting front, free pistol section specialist and team captain Wang Yifu also has revenge to use as a spur. When both China and shooting returned to the Olympic fold in 1984 (shooting had a 20-year break from the program; China a 28-year interruption), Wang collected the exhibition gold. He followed up with a genuine gold in Barcelona, then just missed the Atlanta main prize. "Much of shooting is about luck," he says modestly. "The top shooters in the world are about the same in skill. If there's one miss, then there goes the gold medal. No one dares to be confident." Now in his 40th year, Wang speaks from experience. In Atlanta, he was denied gold when he succumbed to the heat and missed his last shot. "Normal people can't imagine how stressful the sport is," Wang says. That is why China's shooting team is one of the few to boast its own psychologist. Personally, Wang thinks a spot of fishing is the best therapy. Told that Shooting Association director Xu Haifeng believes China's 24-person team can win eight gold medals in Sydney, Wang reacts sharply. "Xu Haifeng should not boast so much," he says. "It's hard enough for us to win two gold medals." But despite his efforts to hose down expectations, the fact remains that China's representatives are an experienced group of world-class athletes. And with shooting among the first Sydney events, Chinese officials also are looking for results that buoy the entire Olympic squad. Certainly the table tennis team will need some encouragment. Members have floundered in international play this year. In July, leading hope Liu Guoliang lost to an underdog in the U.S. Open. And last year the 26-year-old was accused of doping after the world championships in the Netherlands. Liu was eventually cleared, but the pressure of proving his innocence left some scars. The reigning world and Olympic singles champion, however, can be expected to rise to the occasion. Speculation that he would not make the team was quickly scotched by his coach, who cited the value of know-how and skill in such top-flight competition. Write to Asiaweek at mail@web.asiaweek.com
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