China's kids go for the gold - 03 Aug 2008

China is aiming to top the medal tally at these Olympics for the first time. If they succeed, it will be the result of a rigorous system that talent-spots children from a young age.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley visited one school in Beijing where each year, thousands of children are fed into China's massive sporting academy system in pursuit of success.

Category:

News & Politics

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• al
• jazeera
• english
• tony
• birtley
• beijing
• 2008
• beijin
• 08
• olympics
• china

[xuci111111]

I just about had enough of your westerners' lies now, baolinh.

Since when did you SEE what you said? Go to that academy and see for yourself! Chinese kids all have ambitions from small - their own ambitions! I'm sure you were playing video games all day when you were young but it doesn't mean Chinese kids have to be lazy and unrealistic like you lot! They went to there to achieve their own goal - to hopefully stand on an award ceremony, holding the gold medal! THAT'S THEIR DREAM!

[mengwise36]

That is where you are wrong. Not all Chinese will tell you that.

1. Most people would not know the difference. They do not know anything about US except what they are told.

2. Those who know both US and Chinese system will tell you it is a toss up. In US, you have the freedom to say anti-government things even though that is being eroded. In China, you can't. But in China you don't have all these laws and regulations that tied to religion. You can have an abortion without harassment.

[riji322]

This is so sad

[ShutUp20111]

I have nothing against hard work and success, but on other clips, I saw Chinese coaches kicked and pushed their little students. This is the part that needs to be changed. 

[XDmiyukii]

oh didnt he kexin train here before she was accepted into the national team?

[mekkabon]

2:27 "children are not complex like adults"? I believe that was the mind set that allowed adults to force children into labor back in the day.

That didn't turn out so well, if I'm remembering correctly.

To get a gold medal in a competition isn't worth it. What happens when their leg gives out, or they can't compete physically anymore? It sounds like they haven't had much schooling, so they'll probably be quite screwed.

[danceloverSkye]

@xuci111111 hey i agree with you but not all westerners' are fat lazy stupid americans!

[vivspring]

You can definitely see a distinct level of bias in Aljazeera's news. This one is no exception. Just give them a picture and they make up a whole page of story. that's journalism

You can find fault in anything really. i see discipline in these children. success does not come for free. when you want something you need to sacrifice something. this is rule of life. If you choose to slack whole day, then that is your choice but you have got to sacrifice the gold medal. It's all a matter of choice.

[Bidmartinlo]

@FromAlphaToOmega1 Educated people don't run amok! It is usually the sports types who do that kind of shit. Well, acording to unofficial stories outside the media and not self-proclaimed unofficial stories. And discipline... pfft! They fear their teachers thats it. Besides you don't need discipline outside the military or religion.

And lastly I do concern myself with other things going on around the world. Mostly the middle east and the US. Africa have problems that I can never help with.

[FromAlphaToOmega1]

@Bidmartinlo No discipline, whether obtained in academics or sports, you will have a generation of youths who are unproductive to society and will run amok. Take for instance the riot in Hackney, a result of lack of discipline among many other things such as poor guidance coupled with little to no social programs.

[FromAlphaToOmega1]

@Bidmartinlo That is quite nice that you understand at an early age, that there is no real future in the olympics for most people, but these kids may be aware of that also and in spite of it they still pursue this dream. I say that is passion and family honour, if it isn't then I don't know what is. I would like to say also, that this kind of training instills a disciplinary foundation at an early age, which may appear cruel to the soft minded and unaccustomed eyes....