Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games (杭州2022亚运会 háng zhōu 2022 yà yùn huì）just comes to an end. It is no longer a shocking news that China becomes the winner of this prestigious sports tournament. During the 19th Asian Games, China ranked first in the medal standing, acquiring 201 gold medals（金牌 jīn pái）, 111 silver medals（银牌 yín pái）, and 71 bronze medals（铜牌 tóng pái）. China won the most medal from athletes competing in gymnastics, diving, and shooting.
About The Game
Theme: Heart to Heart, @Future
Mascots: Chenchen （辰辰 chén chén）, Congcong（琮琮 cóng cóng）, Lianlian（莲莲 lián lián）
Torch: Eternal Flame (薪火 xīn huǒ）
Medal: Shan Shui (湖山 hú shān）
Sports Discipline are divided into 4 categories, which are:
1. Competitive sports（竞技性比赛 jìng jì xìng bǐ sài）:
24 Sports branches are being competed, such as Archery, Cycling, Weightlifting, and many more.
2. Ball sports（球类比赛 qiú lèi bǐ sài）:
18 Sports branches are being competed, such as Football, Basketball, Volleyball, and many more.
3. Adversary sports（对抗性比赛 duì kàng xìng bǐ sài）:
9 Sports branches are being competed, such as Boxing, Taekwondo, Wrestling, and many more.
4. Water sports（水上比赛 shuǐ shàng bǐ sài）:
10 Sports branches are being competed, such as Dragon boat, Swimming, Rowing, and many more.
Sports Culture in China
China has a long-standing emphasis on athleticism. In China, even university students still have a compulsory Physical Education class. The Chinese have practised doing regular sports since a very young age. Hence, the Chinese produce some of the most prominent athletes worldwide. Even though the types of sports that they do varies, here are some of the most popular sports in China:
1. Table Tennis (乒乓球 pīng pāng qiú）
It is the most popular recreational sport in China. Deng Yaping（邓亚萍）, a famous Chinese table tennis player, won six world championships and four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997, making her one of the greatest table tennis player ever in the country.
Fun fact: The United States’ table tennis team was invited to play the game in China in 1971. Dubbed ping-pong diplomacy, it heralded a thaw in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
2. Basketball (篮球 lán qiú）
This sport gained its popularity since the 2000s, when Yao Ming（姚明）started playing for the Houston Rockets in NBA. To this day, Yao Ming is still one of China’s most famous athletes, if not, the most famous.
Fun fact: Yao Ming owns a winery in the Napa Valley selling high-end wine with his name on it.
3. Badminton（羽毛球 yǔ máo qiú）
China is also the most successful badminton team in the history of the game, having won Thomas Cup 10 times and the Uber Cup 14 times.
Possibly the greatest badminton player of all time, Lin Dan（林丹）completed the Super Grand Slam by the age of 28. He won all of the nine major badminton tournaments available, including the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup. He remains the only player to obtain such remarkable achievement.
Fun fact: Some historians say that badminton is a derived version of the traditional Chinese game, ‘jianzi’. In this sport, players use their feet instead of a racket to hit the shuttlecock.
Sports Name in Chinese
球 (qiú) in Chinese means ball. Therefore, the Chinese name of most sports that are played with balls end with 球.
1. Rugby = 橄榄球 gǎn lǎn qiú
2. Tennis = 网球 wǎng qiú
3. Table Tennis = 乒乓球 pīng pāng qiú
4. Football = 足球 zú qiú
5. Cricket = 板球 bǎn qiú
6. Basketball = 篮球 lán qiú
7. Baseball = 棒球 bàng qiú
8. Badminton = 羽毛球 yǔ máo qiú
9. Hockey = 曲棍球 qū gùn qiú
10. Running = 跑步 pǎo bù
11. Swimming = 游泳 yóu yǒng
12. Skiing = 滑雪 huá xuě
13. Boxing = 拳击 quán jī
14. Horse Racing = 赛马 sài mǎ
15. Golf = 高尔夫 gāo ěr fū
Other commonly used terms
Stadium = 体育场 tǐ yù chǎng
Defeat = 打败 dǎ bài
Accurate; precise = 准确 zhǔn què
To sweat = 出汗 chū hàn
Champion = 冠军 guàn jūn
Runner-up = 亚军 yà jūn
Third place = 季军 jì jūn
Medal = 奖牌 jiǎng pái
Gold medal = 金牌 jīn pái
Silver medal = 银牌 yín pái
Bronze medal = 铜牌 tóng pái
Sports is a big part of the Chinese society. In Asian Games, everyone has at least one sports branch that they look forward to. During the closing ceremony on October 8, the Chinese closed the game pridefully, as they come out as this year’s champion.
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