Back row, from left: Gail Rizzo, swimming coach, Jimmy Bugeja, shooting coach, Madeleine Scerri and Ryan Gambin (swimmers), Marie Therese Zammit, Assistant Chef de Mission, Julian Pace Bonello, Chef de Mission, David Azzopardi, MOC Director of Finance and MOC medical adviser Dr Lucienne Attard. Front row, from left: Leandros Calleja (athletics coach), Charlene Attard (athlete), Marcon Bezzina (judoka), Nicolai Portelli (athlete) and William Chetcuti (shooter).
‘Go China!’ no longer enough for Olympic fans
The South Korean baseball team’s cheerleaders sashayed in a flawless line, bellowing out the national victory song. Yu Ling, watching in awe with his fellow Chinese fans, had a serious case of cheer envy.
“The South Korean and Taiwanese cheering fans are so advanced. All we have is `Zhong Guo Jia You!”’ lamented Yu, a 25-year-old graduate student, referring to the ubiquitous cheer used by Chinese fans at the Olympics: “Go China!”
Chinese fans are finding it challenging to come up with other cheers to encourage their athletes during the country’s biggest-ever sports event. They are trying – with mixed results – to copy the vocal efforts of visiting fans from other nations.
The Chinese, familiar with sports like table tennis, basketball and football, lack exposure to many sports on the Olympic agenda. There’s also no tradition of attending college matches, where cheering routines are as much a part of sports in some countries as the players themselves.
Most spectators at the Olympics have been attending their first baseball game or tennis match, so they found themselves on a sharp learning curve, even needing to figure out when to cheer and, sometimes more importantly, when to stay quiet.
During last week’s Taiwan-China baseball game, Taiwanese spectators used a popular cheer in which they chanted the batter’s name, followed with “Go for a home run!” Chinese fans later imitated the Taiwanese, using the same chant, which was new to them, but replacing the names with their own players.
“Chinese soccer fans are going to do the `wave’ and cheer their hearts out,” said Ren Hai, a professor at Beijing Sports University. “But baseball is hardly watched in China so you can’t expect them to know how to react when the organ ‘Charge!’ song is played or how to creatively taunt the pitcher with sayings like: `We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher!’ “
In preparation for the games, organisers created an official cheer for Chinese spectators: Clap twice, give the thumbs-up, clap twice more and throw both fists into the air, all while chanting “Go Olympics! Go China!”
Chinese fans were clearly enthralled – and fascinated – when an American cheerleading squad took to the court during time-outs at the sellout China-US men’s basketball game a week ago. With the music cranked up and several changes of costumes, the place was rocking, especially when a couple of the Chinese Olympic mascots got in on the action.
Beijing Olympics organisers launched a slew of spectator etiquette campaigns in preparation for the games, training more than 800,000 students and 30 volunteer cheering squads.
Commonwealth Youth Games – Pune, India 2008
The spectacular sporting bonanza is about to unfold in the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Pune is the proud host of the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008. An independent multi sports event, the Youth Games are a run up and a trial event to the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in Delhi.
Pune is renowned for hosting several world class events, including India’s oldest Marathon. World class sports facilities, modern infrastructure, excellent connectivity by multiple means of transport and a rich cultural heritage coupled with salubrious climate, indeed vouch for Pune’s candidature as the host city for the III Commonwealth Youth Games 2008.
It is for the first time, that the Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Asia – in 2008.
The Inaugural Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland from 10 to 14 August 2000.
The II Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Bendigo, Australia from 30 November to 3 December 2004.
The III Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Pune from 12 to 18 October 2008. Over 1,300 athletes and 350 officials from 71 countries will participate in these games, in 9 disciplines – Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling are included in the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008.
Apart from the athletes, team officials and Games technical Conduct Officials, there will be representatives from the National and International Federations along with the representatives of Print and Electronic media.
The Commonwealth Youth Games are an extremely significant event for India as they will form the back-bone for her quest for maximum Medals in the Delhi 2010 Games. The Youth Games will also serve to identify India’s medal winning potential athletes for the Asian Games 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016.
The most unique feature of these games is their venue, Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. The venue of the III Commonwealth Youth Games Pune 2008 i.e. Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City, Balewadi, is unique as it is for the first time that the competition venues of all disciplines and the athletes’ village will be housed in a single sports complex. Located on 153 acres of land, on the outskirts of Pune, it is all set to host the international competitive multi-sporting event.
Be a part of the excitement as the city gears up for the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008.
The Commonwealth Youth Games embody the spirit of humanity, achievement and harmony. Pune, as the host city for the III Commonwealth Youth Games, inherently prides itself of all these noble values. The cultural capital of Maharashtra is also known as the “Queen of the Deccan” due to its salubrious climate and location. A significant player in the history of India, it wears a rich historical legacy characterised with the glorious period of the Marathas and the Peshwas.
It is one of the fastest growing metropolis in the country. The city is emerging as a major IT centre of excellence. Pune is also known as the “Detroit of the East” due to the presence of fastest growing automobile industry in Asia. The city has a rich heritage and historical repute of being the epicentre of all activities related to tradition, sports and culture.
Pune as a modern energetic city pulsating with warmth, energy, vivacity and enthusiasm provides a perfect background for an event of such a magnitude while contributing towards the tradition of the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Pune is the ideal venue for conducting the Commonwealth Youth Games as it is truly the city of the youth!
Nestled amidst the Sahyadri Hills in the large, prosperous Indian state of Maharashtra, Pune has a population of over 45 lakh. Situated at a height of 560m above sea level at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers, it is surrounded by hills, valleys and historic forts. Pune is the second largest city in Maharashtra, after capital Mumbai.
The website for logos/images is: www.cygpune2008.com