Earlier today, in Guangzhou, China, the Opening Ceremony for the 16th Asian Games took place, with lavish stagecraft, costumes, fireworks and performers welcoming participants. Some 14,000 athletes from 45 countries and territories will compete in 42 sporting disciplines until November 27. Collected here are colorful scenes from Guangzhou, China.
(shows scene of Chinese WAG team entering arena) Narrator: Night of November 11, 2010, the 6 team members of the Chinese WAG team, Jiang Yuyuan, He Kexin etc., showed up at the podium training in preparations for the beginning of competitions. In their one and a half hour training, they completed the exercises for UB, BB, FX and VT, along with the Japanese and Indian teams. We noticed that every crucial technique was repeated twice by the athletes due to being in good mental and physical conditions; it seems that the lost of spirits since the recent gymnastics World Tournament Championships (WTC) was swept away. WAG team head coach, Lu Shan Zhen, had a smile on his face.
(Coach Lu interviewed) Coach Lu: The girls had done well at the podium today, they had shown their spirits and competitiveness. After we had summarized their insufficiencies at the last gymnastics WTC, we asked that (look forward that) our girls could perform undeterred. Indeed, they had performed well on podium today, but it does not guarantee the same results when they’re at the competitions; but I hope their high spirits could be brought forward to the actual competitions.
(shows scenes of gymnasts from different countries at podium training) Narrator: While the Chinese WAG team’s current main opponents are the Europeans and the Americans, but Coach Lu stressed that the strengths of the Japanese and the Koreans are not to be underestimated; especially, the North Koreans, who were reportedly banned from participation due to the disclosure of a violation of age falsification of one of their athletes recently, however, if the North Koreans were allowed to compete, they would be the formidable VT contenders.
Coach Lu: Each of the Japanese athletes is strong; they were 3rd in AA and 2nd in UB at last year’s Worlds. Also, one Korean was in the Worlds VT finals…Then there are the North Koreans…
Interviewing reporters: …the North Koreans aren’t here this time, are they?
Coach Lu: …I really don’t know, at this point, it is not definite as far as I know. Right till this moment, to my knowledge, it is not definite that the North Koreans are banned from this competition.
Reporter: Have you seen them here, so far…?
Coach Lu: But, no, I have not. Then again, if they were here, they would be a very “secretive” team (having the capability of great intimidation).
Narrator: Lastly, Coach Lu expressed that the Chinese team will not lower it’s D-value to play safe just because the opponents are not too challenging this time around, as this meet is part of the groundwork for the 2012 London Olympics.
Lu Shanzhen (head coach) & Liu Qunlin(retired since Dec. 2009)
(Liu Qunlin)
Since Liu's retirement, it is said that Lu Shanzhen doesn't personally coach any gymnasts any longer (except Cheng Fei?). And their old gymnasts like Yang Yilin and He Ning were passed to Coach Wang Liming & Sun Haiou. Gymnasts coached by this team include Cheng Fei, Zhang Nan, Liu Xuan, Yang Yun, Bi Wenjing, Kui Yuanyuan, Meng Fei, Sang Lan, Shun Xiaojiao.
Liu Guichen & He Hua
(Liu Guichen, Fan Ye & He Hua in 2003)
The best bar workers usually are from this team. Gymnasts they are coaching include He Kexin, Tan Sixin, Jiang Tong, Zeng Siqi. Retired gymnasts from this team: Li Ya, Mo Huilan, Fan Ye, Ling Jie etc.
Wang Qunche& Xu Jinglei
(Wang Qunche, Pang Panpan & Xu Jinglei in 2006)
Current gymnasts: Sui Lu, Zhang Yufei etc. Some well-known retiree- Pang Panpan, Dong Fangxiao, Huang Mandan
Xiong Jingbin & Zhang Xia
(Xiong Jingbin)
(Zhang Xia)
Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin, among some others, are currently in this team. Lu Li was one of the first gymnasts Xiong coached in national WAG team.
Wang Liming & Sun Haiou Current gymnasts: He Ning, Huang Qiushuang , Wu Liufang, Wang Xi, Cheng Shihua, Zhang Yujiao etc.
Yang Yilin, a native of Guangzhou, will be the first runner during the torch relay in the host city of 26th Asian Games. A short interview from Yang.
On the first runner. "It is really excited to be the first runner of the torch relay in Guangzhou. I only knew it two days ago. It's a great honor and I really looked forward to it."
On the reason why she is the first runner. "I guess the reason I was picked to be the first runner is because I am a native Guangzhou, and also I am a Olympic Champion. "
On the Asian Games and her goals "As this will be my last Asian Games, it's exciting to compete in my hometown. And I will prepare harder and try to performance better. The first goal is the Team title, as it is the most important. As for the event finals, it's all up to the performance from the prelim( & TF)."
China is sending its same squads to Asian Games from last month's world championships in Rotterdam. With Japan not sending its top men's team and North Korea banned from competition, the door is open for China to win all 14 gold medals. The roster includes 127 gymnasts from across Asia, but few should be able to challenge China.
Jiang Yuyuan said the women's team is training very well, and that the responsibility of being team captain will not add pressure in her first Asian Games.
"I participated in the Olympic Games and world championships before and have a plenty of competition experience, so I'm not too nervous," she said. "Many people have asked me about being the captain, but actually no, I don't bow to the pressure."
