Earthquake-hit Sichuan sends out athletes for training
22/5/2008 17:10
The earthquake-devastated Sichuan province is sending its athletes to all
over China to resume training, Sichuan sports chief said today.
Sports
director Zhu Ling told Xinhua that many provinces and municipalities have
offered to host Sichuan athletes after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12
killed over 40,000 in the southwestern Chinese province.
Sichuan has 500
athletes on the provincial teams of various sports, including a dozen who were
in Sichuan preparing for the Beijing Olympics when the deadly quake hit.
No
athlete was killed or injured in the quake, Zhu said.
Sichuan's leading track
and field athletes, including Olympics-bound Liu Jing, Asian Games women's 100m
hurdles champion, and men's triple jumper Gu Junjie, had left for Beijing to
compete in the "Good Luck Beijing" Olympic athletics test event which opens on
Thursday.
"They will stay in Beijing for training after the test event," said
Zhu.
Sichuan's gymnasts and Wushu players are leaving for Guangxi for
training while Hubei will host Sichuan's badminton team, according to
Zhu.
Shandong will host Sichuan's wrestling, swimming, diving and women's
soccer teams while Yunnan takes in the volleyball teams, Shanghai the
synchronized team, Guizhou the table tennis teams, said the sports
director.
The Sichuan Sports Institute based in the provincial capital of
Chengdu, which used to gather two thirds of the provincial-level athletes, has a
few gymnasiums and dormitory buildings listed as "hazardous buildings", said
Zhang Rongwei, principal of the institute.
Zhang admitted most athletes who
resumed training after the earthquake were in low spirits.
"For their safety
and better concentration, we have to move the athletes out of the province,"
said Zhang.
Xinhua
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