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Chinese Athletes Aspire after 2008 Games in Beijing
Seven years ago, Li Xiaoshuang, former world gymnastics champion, joined the Beijing delegation for Monte Carlo where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would make final vote on the host city of the 2000 Games.
"I wondered if Beijing would win the bid and felt very nervous. When IOC president Samaranch announced the result (Beijing lost to Sydney by a margin of two votes), I was in tears," Li recalled.
Seven years later, Beijing launched a second bid, this time for the 2008 Games and Li, although having retired from the gymnastics field, became a part of the bidding effort once more.
Li, along with other friends, made a bid-themed song, joined in promotional activities in support of Beijing's bid and will take part in a torch relay across the Taiwan Straits in mid June along with athletes from Hong Kong, Macao and the Chinese Taipei.
"I think Beijing's bid this time around will be stronger, more solidly grounded and better equipped," said Li.
Li is the first Chinese gymnast to win the men's world championships all-round title and the first Chinese to be crowned as men's all-round Olympic champin.
"I wish that the world could give China a chance, a chance to the 1.3 billion Chinese people," he said. "To hold a Games in Beijing would give the athletes in the world a chance to know China, and a chance for China to get more integrated with the world."
Jiang Cuihua, who won China's first Olympic medal in cycling in Sydney, also cherishes a dream of Beijing staging the 2008 Games, thinking it would leave a legacy to the sport in the country.
"The sport will get more popular in China. China will not only be a country with the world's biggest number of bicycles, but also a power in the sport," said the 27-year-old cyclist.
She also said that an Olympic Games in Beijing would also upgrade the cycling facilities in China where all venues are surfaced with cement instead of the wood.
"If Beijing wins the bid, a wood-sufaced velodrome will be built in Laoshan, west of Beijing," said Jiang.
As for the chances for Beijing winning the bid, Jiang told of a story to show her confidence of Beijing.
"In the 1996 Games, IOC president Samaranch said,'China is known as'Kingdom of bicycles' for the large number of bikes in the country. But no Chinese cyclists have won any medals in Olympic Games. It is a pity,'" Jiang recalled.
She said that Samaranch's remarks had been a great stimulant to her, who promised to fill the medal void and threw herself to a long-term, tough but scientific training regime.
"I fulfilled my dream at Sydney, it is a dream come true for both myself and the Chinese cycling," said Jiang who took the Olympic bronze medal in the women's 500m time trial event at Sydney.
"The bronze medal gave me reasons to believe that as long as the Chinese work hard, we could reach our target. It is the same case with the Olympic bid," said Jiang.
In a bid for the world's top sporting gala, Beijing, along with Paris, Toronto, has been rated by the IOC evaluation commission as the candidate cities which could host an excellent Games. The other two candidates including Osaka and Istanbul failed to get the IOC's complete nod but are still in the race.
Lang Ping, a mainstay member of the Chinese women's volleyball team which won five straight world titles in the 1980s, said she has been encouraged by the IOC report.
"I think the report fully reflects the truth and is objective. I feel happy about this,"said Lang who currently coaches in Italian League. "I think Beijing is fully capable of hosting a Games, and it will be a very excellent and far-reaching Games."
Lang will be a member of the Beijing delegation for Moscow where the IOC will make the final decision on the 2008 Games in July 13.
Lang said that her foreign friends, in particular Italians, have all expressed their wishes to tour Beijing, an ancient city with a history of 3,000 years, in 2008.
"Beijing is ancient and mysterious to them. To hold a Games there will be completely different from all the previous Games," she added.
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