Review: 2008 China Athletics Open
One of the last, and probably most important, of the Good Luck Beijing events, the 2008 China Athletics Open, wrapped up at the Bird's Nest last night. The Sichuan team's emotional win in the final of the men's 4 X 100m relay was one of the highlights of the evening's competition. Throughout the weekend, members of the Sichuan team had been given the loudest cheers during the introduction of athletes prior to the commencement of an event, but last night's win, which saw the team come from behind to defeat both Japan and China's national teams, was especially memorable. Another highlight of the final evening was the exciting final of the men's high jump. Malaysian competitor Lee Hup Wei (pictured left), with a bit of encouragement from the crowd and a weird taiqi-like warm-up ritual, managed to take gold in the event with a personal best jump of 2.27m.
Other highlights of the four-day event, the second test event to take place at the National Stadium after last month's walking and marathon, included the crowd going crazy every time superstar Liu Xiang made an appearance. After false starting, the golden boy went on to win the final of the 110m hurdles on Saturday night in a time of 13.18s (you can take a look at the video of the race here). It was obvious that many spectators had come especially to see the hurdler compete, as on the three nights that he took part in the Open, there was an obvious thinning out of audience numbers after Liu Xiang's event was over.
Despite the name of the tournament, the open was not limited to Chinese participants and 154 foreign athletes (there were a lot of participants from Japan, Australia and Malaysia) also took part. One of the most eye-catching of these was 17-year-old Amna Bakhit, who's win in the women's 800m final attracted a lot of attention due to the fact that the Sudanese athlete ran the race barefoot (see image below).
There were also a few paralympic events (at which China dominates), including wheelchair racing and blind running, in which the two competitors were attached at the wrist to accompanying runners who kept pace with them as they ran down the track.
Aside from all the sporting action, spectators that we talked to were also impressed by the reasonably-priced beer (5 kuai cans of Yanjing or 8 kuai for a small bottle of Yanjing Chunsheng) but not so happy with the choice of food and snacks available - something that is all the more important given the strict security that prevents anyone from bringing in their own food and drinks. The so-called "hot dogs" (cold processed bread covered in spammy-meat and tomato sauce) were especially singled out for criticism. The toilets got mixed reviews, with some liking the all-black look, while others suggested that a bit more effort might be needed to keep them clean.
Finally, in terms of athletes experience of the Bird's Nest, Australian runner Brendan Cole, who picked up third place in the men's 400m, mentioned that:
I was concerned [about the air pollution] coming in, but to be honest I didn't notice anything. I don't feel like I'm breathing any more heavily. But hey, take a blood test and we'll find out.
May 22-25
China Athletics Open 2008
For full list of results visit the official site.
Morning session - RMB 40, 60. Evening session – RMB 70, 100. Tickets only available at the gate. Until May 25.
Two sessions daily: morning session 9am-noon and 7pm-late. (Full schedule available here and here). National Stadium
Links and Sources
Official Site of the 2008 China Athletic Open