Olympics: China is to focus on best events
(The New York Times)
Updated: 2006-02-24 15:43

In China, people wait for Winter Olympic gold medals to start rolling in. Ski manufacturers wait for a growing Chinese middle class to flock to newly constructed slopes. The Chinese Olympic Committee waits for a Swedish coach to transform its cross- country ski team and for speed skaters training in Canada to dominate their events.

And the world waits to see whether China will become as big a force in the Winter Games as it has become in the Summer Games. China, though, has approached its winter sports methodically, instead of rushing toward all-out dominance. It has picked particular sports, even specific events, in which it believes it can win medals.

In figure skating, it concentrates on pairs. In speed skating, it specializes in short-track events and the sprints in long track. It is working hard to build a cross-country program and has two very good freestyle aerials skiers.

"They are very selective about what they devote their energy and their resources to," said Steve Roush, director of sport performance for the U.S. Olympic Committee, who monitors China's progress carefully. "They seem to be wary of spreading themselves too thin."

Finding a niche - or a few niches - is not an unusual Winter Olympic strategy. In fact, it is the norm. Except for a few countries, like the United States, Russia and Canada, most have a sport or two in which their athletes excel.

The Dutch have made speed skating a franchise; their best skaters are like rock stars in the Netherlands. The Finns are crazy about ski jumping. Austrians believe they own Alpine skiing. For South Koreans, short-track speed skating is king, and Norwegians idolize cross-country skiers.

The sports academy system helped China develop many of its summer athletes, particularly gymnasts and divers.

But winter sports are relatively new to the Chinese. It does not snow in the southern half of the country, so winter sports are rare. Only a few ski resorts exist in the north, and those are plagued by harsh weather.

That does not mean the Chinese temper their competitive expectations on the winter side.

Only a few days into the Olympics, the Xinhua news agency quoted a Chinese delegation official as saying: "Patience has worn out. China's agonizing wait for its first Turin Olympic gold has reached the breaking point."

Wang Meng, a short-track skater, took the pressure off by winning the 500 meters, but a long-track skater, Wang Manli, broke down in tears after finishing second in her 500-meter race and could not compose herself for reporters. "Please do not ask more," she said. "I can't do it now."

When Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao won silver in pairs figure skating, however, they were hailed in the news media as national heroes. Zhang Dan crashed horrifically on a quadruple throw, but she recovered and they heroically finished their program with no errors.

Xinhua has increased its coverage of the Winter Games. It has 26 reporters here, compared with the 10 it sent to Salt Lake City in 2002. Its officials said the increase was a result of growing Olympic interest because Beijing is preparing to be host to the 2008 Summer Games.

"They want to be a sports superpower," Roush said. "That led to their pursuit of the Olympics. But they understand that to be a superpower, they have to do well in both winter and summer."

China sent its first winter team to Lake Placid in 1980, won its first medal in 1992 and finally won a gold when Yang Yang (A) won a short-track race in 2002. She ended up with two golds, in the 500 and the 1,000 meters.

China took home eight medals from Salt Lake City. It has won eight thus far in Turin: silver and bronze in pairs, silver in freestyle aerials, plus three short- track and two long-track medals.

"From our standpoint, it pays to diversify," Roush said. "If there is one sport that is down, the other ones can pick it up. We don't live and die off of one or two sports. There are so many wild cards, injuries, crashes. We don't put pressure on one particular athlete to come through."