Sport Booms In China, Despite War

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 145, 21 June 1941, Page 6 (Supplement)

Sport Booms In China, Despite War

ALTHOUGH China has been at grips with Japan in a bitter war for something like four years, this, according to Mr. Peter Woo, representative of the Chinese Soccer Association with the Soccer team from that country now in Australia, has not had the effect of lessening interest in sport throughout this immense republic. On the contrary, he says, interest in sport has increased. The Chinese, like most other people, regard active sport as excellent training for army purposes. The general run of the people are keen on games of various kinds and, in ; their own way, show as much 1 enthusiasm at a keenly contested event as do their English and other white brothers and sisters. They have their own games, which are peculiar to themselves, but have taken readily to other sports which have been introduced from other countries. They are, for instance, very keen on tennis, at which they have produced some notable exponents. Some of their tennis players have performed with credit at big tournaments in England and on the Continent. Swimming, of course, is not a new pastime with them, but in recent years they have taken a keener interest in the higher ranks of the sport. Like the Japanese, they are keen on baseball, although j they have not gone to the pains of 1 the Japanese to excel in sports in international competition. They are j also keen on basketball and volley I ball, as well as several other sports that have been introduced from ; other countries. Racing is also popular with certain classes. I Soccer, however, is the most popu- j lar of all sports there, according to j Mr. Woo. It is the only code of football played in China, and isj favoured because of its international | character. The stronghold of the ; game is Hongkong where, of course, 1 there is a big British element in the population. Mr. Woo estimates that there are about 6000 players there, while it is impossible to estimate the number of thousands who play , throughout China. The team now here is one chosen from the players of Hongkong, and is regarded as a thoroughly representative team. That they are plavers of abilitv is indicated by the fact that of the four games played in Sydney they won three. The organisation of the game from the schools upwards is thorough, and much attention is paid to the training of the boys. They have