Cracks in the ice

Source:hibeijing [ Big Normal Small ] Comment

The ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, the highest level of short track competition, opens in Beijing today - but winter sports officials warned that the host audience may not celebrate victory for the home skaters.

　　The viewing is unlikely to emulate the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games on TV, when China’s Yang Yang (A) brought home the first winter Olympic gold medal.

　　The reason...?

　　China’s short track speed skating is struggling and is at its lowest point in years.

　　"As it is the last world championships before next year’s Turin Winter Olympic Games, all the countries will send their strongest team here," stated Tong Lixin, director of the short track speed skating department of China’s winter sports administrative centre. "In line with our own strength now, we only have chances to strive for the women’s 500m and relay golds this time. We no longer have the power of pocketing most of the gold like three years ago," he said.

　　The reasons for this long-lasting headache are attributed to the lack of available training rinks and the poor reward system for the local teams.
"We only have about 10 ice rinks used for training all over the country, and they have to be used for other ice sports as well," lamented Tong. "Since the short track achieved few results in competitions, the teams have to make do with the worst training time, like from one o’clock to two or four to six in the morning. One training class involves about 40 skaters at the same time, which is far more than the proper number of 20."

　　The shortage of the training initiatives - caused by unreasonable rewarding system - is another reason, Tong claimed.

　　"The rewarding system at present is still the same as that established in 1993, which stipulates that only the duty coach, when claiming the victories in the important events, can then receive prize money to help with coaching. This meant local coaches in charge of the early training of a world champion would get nothing," explained Tong.

　　The situations for rivals nations are, however, the opposite.

　　Facing such obstacles, Tong said he was powerlessness to change the fate of Chinese short track speed skating.
"Due to the ingrained administrative system, we can do nothing to improve the situation in a short period of time," he said. "What we could do is to create as many opportunities as possible to invite foreign top-class coaches for lectures and training, and to hold more competitions for young age groups to stimulate the training enthusiasm of local coaches."

　　A tough 2006

　　With the gap between China and present world’s top team South Korea becoming wider and wider, to repeat the glory at next year’s Turin Winter Olympics is nearly impossible for the Chinese short track team, said Tong.

　　"Although the sports authorities have already started to solve the problems mentioned above, we can’t improve much during such a short period of time," he added. "Honestly speaking, we may face a gold blank in Turin."

　　On the men’s side, which is still led by the 30-year-old veteran Li Jiajun, the title washout in the World Cup showed how far China was being left behind in the rankings.