Chinese Olympic Athletes CommendedChinese athletes who won a record haul of medals at the Sydney Olympic Games were granted new medals Wednesday by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).Wei Jianxing, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee, was present at the awarding ceremony. Wei, also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and ACFTU chairman, presented the May 1 Labor Medal to 36 athletes and the May 1 certificate of merit to six sports teams for their performance in Sydney. The 36 athletes awarded were Li Xiaopeng, Huang Xu, Xiao Junfeng, Zheng Lihui, Xing Aowei, Yang Wei, Liu Xuan, Ge Fei, Gu Jun, Gong Zhichao, Zhang Jun, Gao Ling, Ji Xinpeng, Wang Liping, Yuan Hua, Tang Lin, Tao Luna, Yang Ling, Cai Yalin, Wang Nan, Li Ju, Kong Linghui, Wang Liqin, Yan Sen, Zhan Xugang, Yang Xia, Chen Xiaomin, Lin Weining, Ding Meiyuan, Xiong Ni, Xiao Hailiang, Fu Mingxia, Sang Xue, Li Na, Tian Liang and Chen Zhong. The athletes were all gold medal winners at the Olympic Games. The six sports teams awarded were the table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, shooting, women's weightlifting and diving teams. Zhang Junjiu, vice-chairman of ACFTU, conveyed congratulations to the athletes and sports teams on behalf of the ACFTU and workers of all nationalities across the country. Zhang said that the spirit of the athletes will encourage all workers to contribute more to the realization of the trans-century goal of China's development and revitalization of the Chinese nation. Yuan Weimin, director of the State General Administration of Sport, said that the Chinese athletes could not have achieved the good results without the support from all Chinese from different ethnic groups, including the broad masses of workers, for sports activities. Yuan encouraged Chinese athletes to endeavor to gain greater honor for the motherland. |
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