Archive for ‘international sport’

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03/08/2012

* China Heads to Soccer Field

WSJ: “Chinese investors will take an undisclosed stake in one of Italy’s most famous soccer teams, and a Chinese construction company intends to erect a stadium for the club, in China’s latest step to raise its profile in Europe.

Europe’s soccer leagues have attracted Asian investors. Diego Milito, right, of Inter Milan in action Thursday.

Internazionale Milano SpA, also known as Inter Milan, said Thursday that a group of Chinese investors plans to buy a stake in the club to become its second-largest shareholder. The company didn’t disclose financial terms or the identities of the buyers.

Inter Milan also said that China Railway 15th Bureau Group Co., a company controlled by listed China Railway Construction Corp., 1186.HK -3.28% will build a stadium for the club that is expected to be completed by 2017. Inter Milan currently shares the San Siro stadium with rival team A.C. Milan, owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

China Railway Construction said in a filing that it isn’t part of the Chinese consortium buying the equity stake. It said its China Railway 15th Bureau unit is in talks with the team over building a soccer stadium and that it will make an announcement when a contract is signed.

The move is the latest by well-funded Asian investors into Europe’s soccer leagues. Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung bought Birmingham City of the U.K.’s Premier League in 2009, and AirAsia Bhd. Chief Executive Tony Fernandes bought the Premier League’s Queens Park Rangers last year.

It also marks China’s latest step to win construction projects in the West, broadening from the country’s sizable role in big-ticket projects in Africa and other parts of the developing world.”

via China Heads to Soccer Field – WSJ.com.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/02/13/pattern-of-chinese-overseas-investments/

Posted in China alert, Economics, Foreign acquisition, international sport, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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23/07/2012

* Chariots of Fire’s Eric Liddell is Chinese ‘hero’

BBC News: “The story of Scottish athlete Eric Liddell – a devout Christian who refused to take part in an Olympic race because it took place on a Sunday – became famous after being told in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire. But almost a century later, why is the athlete regarded as a hero in China?

In the corner of a quiet Chinese courtyard, 5,000 miles from Scotland, stands a memorial in Isle of Mull granite. The stone commemorates Eric Liddell – one of Scotland’s greatest Olympians – who is buried nearby. The stone was gifted by Edinburgh University after a Scottish engineer, Charles Walker, rediscovered his grave in the Chinese city of Weifang.

Eric Liddell won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris

Liddell, the son of Christian missionaries, had been born in China in 1902 and lived there until he was five when he returned to Britain to be educated. While he was at Edinburgh University, Liddell excelled at athletics and also played rugby for the Scottish national team – as well as being a noted evangelist preacher.

At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, he famously refused to run on a Sunday, ruling him out of the 100 metres race to which he was best suited. Instead, he took part in the 400 metres race and, against the odds, still won a gold medal.

Soon after his Olympic triumph, Liddell finished his studies and returned to China to become a missionary. As well as religious duties, he worked as a science and sports teacher at the Anglo/Chinese College in Tianjin.

After the Japanese invasion in 1937, Liddell carried on his missionary work even when it became dangerous to do so. Liddell’s wife and children left China for Canada in 1941 but he stayed to help in any way he could.

In 1943 he was interned at Weifang and he died of a brain tumour just months before the end of World War II, at the age of 43.

Liddell’s achievements are taught at the school on the site of the prison camp

The prisoner-of-war camp which held about 2,000 Westerners is now a place of learning for 2,000 Chinese teenagers. Every new pupil at the school is taught about the camp and Eric Liddell’s achievements on and off the track

“This part of history is a great treasure for our school,” said head teacher, Zhao Guixia.

“We can see the great value of humanity, especially in Eric Liddell’s stories.”

In the camp, Liddell was affectionately known as “Uncle Eric” because he spent most of his time teaching children, organising sports and helping others.

via BBC News – Chariots of Fire’s Eric Liddell is Chinese ‘hero’.

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Posted in China alert, Good news, international sport, religion, Social & cultural | 2 Comments »

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16/07/2012

* Pakistan cricket team to visit India in December

BBC News: “India looks set to resume bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan after a gap of several years, with plans for Pakistani cricketers to tour India.

India’s cricket board says three One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches have been planned for December.

Pakistan Cricket Board welcomed the proposal and said that millions of fans would be delighted.

The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan was in 2007-2008 when the Pakistani team visited India.

Cricketing ties were suspended after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, blamed on a Pakistan-based militant group.

Indian government approval is still needed for the series to go ahead but analysts say this is just a formality.”

via BBC News – Pakistan cricket team to visit India in December.

Posted in Good news, India alert, international sport | 3 Comments »

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22/06/2012

* China adds more trains for holiday travel rush

Xinhua: “China’s Ministry of Railways said Friday it has put more trains on to ease transportation pressure during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 22-24.

The ministry added 196 provisional passenger trains for the travel rush Thursday, one day ahead of the holiday, 70 more than the eve of last year’s holiday, it said in a statement.

China’s railways are expected to carry 6.75 million passengers on Friday, the travel peak of this holiday, up 4.7 percent from the holiday travel peak last year, the ministry has said.

It estimated a daily average passenger flow of 6.1 million from June 21 to 24, up 5 percent from that during last year’s holiday travel rush.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival commemorates the famous ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Chinese people prepare and eat zongzi, or leaf-packed glutinous rice dumplings, drink wine and race dragon boats on the day.

The festival falls on June 23 this year.”

via China adds more trains for holiday travel rush – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Although the festival commemorates a historic Chinese event – see http://mandarin.about.com/od/chineseculture/a/dragon_boat.htm – over recent years it has become an international sporting event http://www.dragonboatcalendar.com/ . Not dissimilar to the Greek Marathon now an international sport.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Good news, History, international sport, Transport | Leave a Comment »

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