Events to watch

Chinese Wushu

Directly translated "wu" means military and "shu" means art. Today the term refers to any number of Chinese martial arts. At one point kung fu and wushu were considered the same thing, but today wushu has become less combat related and more of a performing art like a gymnastics floor competition but with punches, kicks, and weapons.

Diving

In the Rio Olympic games, China won seven out of eight gold medals and 10 out of 24 in total. Needless to say this is an opportunity to watch the best divers in the world compete because China's team dominates. With divers jumping from platforms that are ten meters above the water, this is an event that can especially be appreciated by viewing in-person rather than on video.

Women's Volleyball

The women's team has been a dominate force in international competition and won gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The same great athletes will also be in the National games. Check out the athlete profile for Zhu Ting, the captain of the volleyball women's team.

Weight Lifting

What can be viewed as China's second most dominant group of athletes behind their diving team, the weightlifters brought in five gold medals last Olympics. The participants are separated into different weight classes and compete in fifteen different events. Watch out for Meng Suping, this women's +75 kilo weight class participant won a world record with a 188 kilo lift in the "clean and jerk" event. That is the one where athletes lift a bar full of weights from the ground to above their heads.

Table Tennis

The players from China's men's team made news headlines recently. Three top players forfeited in June's China Open due to the head coaches' termination. Don't expect the same problem in Tianjin's games though. The best ping pong athletes will be doing what they are known best for, acrobatic shots and ridiculous hand-eye coordination.

Conclusion

Athletics in China seems to run parallel with its growth as a nation. Having won only five gold medals in the 1988 Seoul Olympic games, only two decade later China went on to win 51 gold medals in Beijing. Tianjin, an already great place has become even more livable with the renovations made around the city for the National games. Over 10,000 athletes and some of the world's best competing locally is a great opportunity for residents to enjoy the comradery and entertainment or Chinese sport's culture. Please make sure to add Jin on Wechat for the most current information about athletes, events, schedules and how to buy tickets for the National Games. Just lookup "TheJin" on Wechat or scan our QR code.

Athlete Profile: