The following article was translated by Mei-Zhong Guanxi from the Zhujiang Evening News:
There are two kinds of sports in the world, one kind is sports, and the other is Chinese sports. With the Olympics as an example, the European and American athletes who participated in the games were if not amateurs, then professionals. This was not so for Chinese athletes who were uniformly specialists. Disregarding amateurs, the difference between professionals and specialists is that professional athletes rely on ticket sales and advertising whereas specialists rely on their nation and are completely nourished and supported by the state. The following is a contrast that is often made: when athletes from a European or American-style system receive an award, they thank their partner profusely, but why don’t they thank their country? This is because their award bears no relationship to their nation. It is not possible that their home country would take taxpayers’ money and use it towards allowing someone to play a game for an award. Please note, for the Olympics the original meaning of the English word ‘game’ is ü‡œ∑(1). Thus, what the Olympics puts in plain language is the competitive sports play of humanity. However, even if it is just a game, when successful Chinese athletes speak into the microphone, they must thank the nation that fostered them. These are not just cliches, but the facts. Of course, to go one step further with the facts, rather than saying the state holds the money, in fact, all of us taxpayers hold the money. Therefore, connecting this phenomenon with another phenomenon is more meaningful. That is, there are two kinds of authors in the world, one kind is an author, and the other kind is a state author. This is a typical Chinese characteristic. For culture, specialized authors should be fostered. For sports, specialized athletes should be fostered.
This is a systemic problem, and is equal to a problematic system – otherwise, systemic reform would be impossible to mention. The problem lies in the fact that the path of national sports is not in accordance with the Olympic sports spirit.
