Sport has become increasingly important in China in recent decades. The country strives to be not only a great, but a strong sports nation. The editorial team of Table.Media has all the news about sports in China. Which sports are practiced in China? Sport in China enjoys great diversity. There are many different traditional Chinese sports. They range from classic martial arts (wushu) such as kungfu, taijiquan and qigong to chess. Table tennis and badminton are also very popular. A third of all Chinese people who play sport do so. Running has also become an important trend in recent years. 44% of all Chinese people who play sports count it as their main sport. With the opening up of the country, basketball and soccer have also become increasingly popular in China, and soccer has been very popular in China since the '80s. The opening up of the People's Republic has also brought the most important world sport into the country. In 2013, Xi Jinping discovered sport as an instrument of geopolitics and decided to develop China into a world power. The aim was to organize a FIFA World Cup, participate in one and win one. According to the 14th Five-Year Plan, 50 million pupils are to receive soccer lessons at 50,000 special schools by 2025. Forty thousand soccer pitches have already been built or renovated. How has the importance of sport changed in China in recent years? Sport has become increasingly important in China in recent years. The Chinese Communist Party is pursuing the goal of transforming the People's Republic from a big sports country into a strong sports country. This is not only about promoting competitive sport, but also about expanding popular sport. It is intended to promote a corresponding industry and sports culture. Since the 2008 Summer Games, August 8 has been National Fitness Day in China. Who practises which sport in China? Around 35% of all Chinese people play sport regularly. The Communist Party's goal is to increase this proportion to 45% by 2035. There are national fitness standards in the People's Republic, which 92% of all Chinese people should then meet. Sports such as fencing, ice hockey and horse riding have become trend sports for children. Alongside badminton and table tennis, marathon running has become a real national sport in China and, as in the rest of the world, golf is also very popular among managers in China. Those who can afford it also go fishing, diving or horse riding. Imports of these products have increased massively in recent years. What does China think of the Olympic Games? For China, the Olympic Games are a means of geopolitics and diplomacy. For the Communist Party, success at this event is an expression of national strength and social civilization. China's results at the Olympic Games are also of great interest to the Chinese and a source of national pride. Gold medal winners often dedicate their success to the Communist Party. Those who lose – such as table tennis player Xu Xin, who only won the silver medal against arch-rival Japan in 2021 – must expect massive hostility. Was China represented at the Olympic Games? China first took part in the Olympic Games in 1932. After 1952, however, the People's Republic withdrew because the International Olympic Committee did not want to exclude Taiwan. After the death of Mao Zedong, a process of opening up began. In 1984, China sent athletes to the Olympic Games for the first time in 32 years. That year, marksman Xu Haifeng won the first gold medal for China. In 2008, China was allowed to organize the Olympic Games itself and led the medal table with 48 gold medals. What is the relationship between China and Germany in sport? Politically, Germany is very reserved towards China when it comes to sport. For example, while many countries are not sending political representatives to the Winter Games in Beijing to draw attention to human rights violations in the People's Republic, the German government is still keeping a low profile. It does not want to risk any economic or diplomatic upheaval.German soccer clubs and the DFB are less hesitant. FC Bayern Munich already has a branch in China, cooperates with Alibaba and has already opened three soccer schools. Borussia Dortmund also has a branch in Shanghai and works together with the Communist Party to discover young players and develop them in its own academy. FC Köln, on the other hand, failed with its plans to become active in China. The club wanted to develop young players in the People's Republic, but had to end the project due to a lack of resources. Which Chinese athletes do you need to know? Perhaps the best-known Chinese athlete in the world is Yao Ming. The basketball player was active in the NBA until 2011 and was the tallest active player in the league at 2.29 meters at the time of his retirement. Swimmer Sun Yang is also known worldwide for several reasons. He won six Olympic medals (three gold) and 16 medals at world championships (eleven gold). However, he is serving a doping ban until June 2024.Liu Changchun was the first Chinese athlete to take part in the Olympic Games. In 1932, he competed for the People's Republic in the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Xu Xin is one of the country's most successful table tennis players. He won the world championship title three times in doubles, twice in mixed and five times in team. Yang Chen was the first Chinese player in the German national league. Between 1998 and 2002, the striker made 94 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt in the first and second divisions and in the DFB Cup, scoring 21 goals. News on sport in China The Communist Party's five-year plan aims to make sport more popular in China and Xi Jinping sees sporting success as a facet of geopolitics. Accordingly, more investment is being made in this area. The Table.Media editorial team covers developments in sport in China.
