Forum

The capital shows true sports spirit

By Andrew Livingstone (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-12 10:31

I've been so impressed with people's enthusiasm for the World Cup in Beijing.

For a nation whose soccer team failed to even make the final round of Asia qualifying, the Chinese sure do love the game.

Even with recent high temperatures across Beijing, the city has come alive with the sight of people wearing the bright blues, reds and oranges of their team, and the

sound of goals being cheered across the city.

More than once I've been woken by an enthusiastic fan somewhere in my apartment complex celebrating a goal in one of the late matches I didn't have the energy to stay awake to watch.

It's hard to begrudge someone supporting his or her team when you know you're guilty of the same thing.

But what I've found most interesting about watching the World Cup in Beijing, is the range of different locations available to view the matches and the contrasting atmospheres they offer.

Most afternoons during the first round there was a debate in my very international workplace over where to watch games. We inevitably would all go our own ways, but all enjoyed the morning discussion of whether results went as predicted.

I admit to watching a couple of the late games on television at home, or live streaming on my laptop, but you can't really get animated about a match when watching it alone in the dark.

For the opening match, I joined Beijing's Mexican community at a bar in the CBD. Surrounded by a sea of green white and red, it was impossible not to get excited about 'El Tricolor' taking on the hosts. Despite not winning, the Mexicans were a fun and gracious bunch.

To watch my own nation play, I joined a large and rowdy crowd at a popular Beijing sports bar. It reminded me of my time spent in England - pints of beer, and the huge roar when one team scores. Fortunately, this bar wasn't one that decided to put its prices up to coincide with the World Cup.

It was a good atmosphere, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for.

My workmate recommended watching one of the many open-air screens that city authorities constructed for the event.

Not just full of foreigners, the outdoor areas are frequented by locals eating and drinking. Usually, the fifty or so tables are packed out early, so the crowds spill onto the nearby grass or concrete areas. It's great for the vendors nearby and a really positive atmosphere.

But my best World Cup viewing memory is simply of walking through the hutong in the Andingmen area, in which practically every bar or little eatery was broadcasting the match.

The narrow alleys were alive with locals. Projector screens had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, throwing their picture onto hastily erected screens, or in one case, a white bed sheet strung between two trees.

I stopped every few meters to

catch a glimpse of the action and within seconds was greeted by a grinning local, enquiring into whom I was supporting and either excitedly agreeing with me, or laughingly telling me my team was destined to fail.

Ultimately, for those of us unlucky enough to not be Spanish or Dutch, our favorite team flew home long before the World Cup ended.

But the fun of watching the beautiful game in China, continued right until the final match.

If having enthusiastic soccer fans was a factor toward qualification, then China will surely be represented in Brazil in 2014. And if they do find themselves at the ultimate showpiece in four years time, I will be cheering them on - along with more than a billion supporters.