Yao Ming Casts Long Shadow in Beijing Lineup

(ATR) Basketball star Yao Ming is a three-time Summer Olympian, yet winter sports are relatively unfamiliar to him.

Guardar

(ATR) Basketball stalwart Yao Ming is a three-time Summer Olympian and eight-time NBA All-Star, yet like many Chinese, winter sports are relatively unfamiliar.

That may very well change.

The Beijing 2022 delegation believes that Yao will play a pivotal role helping to slam-dunk a Winter Olympics victory in Kuala Lumpur this Friday.

"Winter sports represents a healthy lifestyle, with people going out to embrace nature, especially the skiing game with the facilities in the mountains," Yao said in a one-on-one interview with Around the Rings on Wednesday.

"People in China now have this opportunity to embrace nature," referring to Beijing 2022’s claim that a winning bid will inspire millions of Chinese to try skiing.

The seven-foot, five-inch Yao – who had his eight-year NBA career with the Houston Rockets cut short due to foot and ankle injuries – advised he has not yet skied himself, but has enjoyed some ice skating lessons in his home city of Shanghai.

"The one good side about being retired from the NBA – because in an NBA contract, I would be forbidden to do any ice or snow sport, but now I’m free to do it," the Chinese basketball legend said.

"I haven’t been skiing yet, but I could try," said the 34-year-old. "I love snow."

"It’s only forbidden from my wife now, I guess."

Yao, a major asset in China’s two trips to the quarterfinal round at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, was also his nation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony in Athens.

"That’s a huge honor. I remember as a kid in 1984 – that was the first time that I saw on TV live the Chinese delegate walking into the stadium in Los Angeles.

"There was also a basketball player carrying the flag for China. I knew that billions of eyes were on him, but I could not imagine that I would do that someday, too."

Undoubtedly, Ming will play a starring role for Beijing in Friday’s final presentation to the IOC. As the formidable presence was able to do on the hardwood. don’t be surprised if Yao once again delivers big when it matters the most.

Written by Brian Pinelli in Kuala Lumpur

Homepage photo: Weber Shandwick

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.

Guardar

Últimas Noticias

Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons

Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024

Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris

Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years

Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”

The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”