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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 14, 2001

March on New Goals from New Starting Point-- Congratulations on the 9th National Sports Meet

November 11evening saw the Guangdong Olympic Stadium with the holy flames of the 9th National Sports Meet alight on the Pearl River, greeting the descent of over 6,000 young Chinese athletes to compare notes and compete in writing a new music piece to the new century in this thronging south China city of Guangzhou,.


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November 11evening saw the Guangdong Olympic Stadium with the holy flames of the 9th National Sports Meet alight on the Pearl River, greeting the descent of over 6,000 young Chinese athletes to compare notes and compete in writing a new music piece to the new century in this thronging south China city of Guangzhou,.

Since the advent of the new century there has already been unfolded a long lively roll of painting to China's sports. Beijing's successful bid for hosting the 2008 Olympic Games has sounded the first clarion call. For the first time the Universiade had been held in China and the first time China's soccer has won the first-ever qualifiers for the World Cup - a thing ever experienced by the Chinese people and something excited about in Chinese history. As a 42 years' traversing course crowning Chinese sports, the 9th National Sports Meet as is now being held will be of special significance in the history of the Chinese nation.

China's sports history tells that every national sports meet is a grand theatre representing the country's advances of sports and the spirit of the Chinese people and their indomitable effort to march ahead in bringing new hopes of civilization of the Chinese nation. The 9th National Sports Meet, as the first sporting event held in China in the new century, will be in the way of an overall review and display of the strength of the Chinese nation for competitive sports. The 9th National Sports Meet, launched as a national gala, must be an inevitable development of things in China following reform and opening up resulting in an all-round economic, cultural and spiritual construction and successive economic growth and the country's entry into the WTO. The 9th National Sports Meet as the first sports event to be held after Beijing's successful bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games has called national and worldwide attention. When should the 9th National Sports Meet be made a success, at an opportune time with various opportunities on offer as are now provided from the hopeful eyes of people both at home and abroad, China with its sports, economic construction and rise of national strength will be well raised.

China has by its athletes wrested a record number of 28 golds from the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Titanic challenges will pose to China from world sports powers since the 2008 Olympiad is to be held in Beijing. An ever changing world sports pattern not only raises a harsh demand on China's sports but has also put a serious question before us: How are China's sports to be developed and new advances made? Sports meet had been held at the highest level of sports representing the level of China's competitive events as in the late 50s with national sports events launched. But the return of China's sports to the international sports family by the 80s, a change had been made to the role and function of Chinese sports. An outstanding feature of these is: Instead of being the chief "theatre", China has by itself been turned into an "exercise ground" for Olympic Games and of state games. This calls for a correct handling of the strategic relations of national games with those of Olympic Games and people have to know the actual value of national gold medals and the purpose for holding national games in China. Sports events have to be held on a "higher plane" with new speedy advances made on a "stronger basis": Doping to be fought, good sportsmanship and Olympic rules strictly followed and resolute measures adopted in the way a bumper harvest be gained in winning new successes and spiritual construction. It goes without saying the 9th National Sports Meet as the first being launched in the new century has all the necessity to be successfully held with a good start for Chinese sports to take-off in the new century.

Over the last four years, Guangdong Province has made great efforts for the holding of the 9th National Sports Meet. By now, it has already done a good job of all possible logistic organizational work with regard to telecommunication and communications, security, news coverage etc. This is a new major contribution made by Guangdong Province to the development of China's sports since it held the country's 6th National Sports Meet in 1987. To develop China's sports, it first had market operation introduced 14 years ago. For holding the 9th National Sports Meet as different from the 6th, it saw that investment be jointly made by enterprises with the government and run by the construction parties on their own. All operations are market oriented and carried out with a continuously improved environment to have 15 venues built in different areas for a coordinated prosperous economy to be developed in these places. This will no doubt enrich the experience in contributing to a prosperous cause of China's sports.

These recent days have seen thousands of youth turn up at various venues of the 9th National Sports Meet in Guangdong. In a happy excited mood as they have been after Beijing's successful bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games, they form a large community of the luckiest for hundred year-awaited expectations of their forefathers will be realized by themselves and on their own. They also make a happy community in their fullest pride for they will by their efforts and contest win wide respect and applause in China. They must also be a group of explorers for their participation in blueprinting the great future of China's sports and giving a fine show in Beijing's 2008 Olympic Games.

The 9th National Sports Meet is a bridge that will link China's sports to world Olympic Games. The 9th National Sports Meet is a cradle sure to generate China's new hopes and new blood of sports. The 9th National Sports Meet is a theatre and carrier of history past and present and of the country's future.

Be brave facing challenges, away with all departmentalism and trammels of local interest, and seize on time to build up the motherland jointly, heart and soul!

Be brave meeting challenges, proceed from real battle as it is time to train a large worthy contingent team to take on the 2004 Games at Athens!

Be brave meeting head-on challenges, face the world and the future and see that the National Meet be held on a higher plane!

We extend ardent congratulations to our athletes for chalking new sports heights and a successful end to the 9th National Sports Meet!



By People's Daily Online
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