(BEIJING, CHINA, 2008)
(CHINA HOSTED THE GAMES OF THE XXIX OLYMPIAD)
(SIGNALLING ITS ARRIVAL AS BOTH)
(AN ECONOMIC AND SPORTING SUPERPOWER)
(TEAM CHINA PLACED FIRST IN THE MEDAL COUNT)
(WITH 51 GOLD)
(THE SUCCESS WOULD LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY ON)
(CHINA'S INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHOLE SPORTS SYSTEM)
(THIS IS CHINA - COMING OF AGE)
(OLYMPIC GAMES - AFTER BEIJING 2008)
(LEGACY OF BEIJING 2008)
(CHINA TRANSFORMS)
(COMING OF AGE: CHINA AFTER BEIJING 2008)
(QINGDAO, CHINA)
(THIS CITY HOSTED THE 2008 OLYMPIC SAILING COMPETITIONS)
After the 2008 Olympic Games, Qingdao began hosting
a lot of sailing competitions
and people became more actively engaged in sports.
And fully commit to these sports and exercises.
This year we'll start the construction of 10 stadiums,
including a 60,000 seat stadium
with a 1,500 acre public fitness centre.
We'll continue building another 8,840 sporting facilities.
(AHOY QINGDAO: FROM SLEEPY PORT TO CHINESE SPORTS CITY)
(BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES, 2008 SAILING COMPETITION)
(QINGDAO OLYMPIC SAILING CENTRE)
Beijing 2008 were the first Olympic Games
in which I competed.
I fulfilled one of my little dreams.
During my childhood, I practised swimming
and then started sailing the OP class.
I've always had this dream of taking part in the Olympic Games
on behalf of my motherland.
Finally, as I had hoped, I won a medal - the bronze medal,
which was a historic breakthrough
for Chinese sailing at that time.
There had been windsurfing medallists before,
but there were no medallists in sailing.
The most unforgettable memory for me would be
the moment when I crossed the finish line
in the medal race in London.
I was very proud with my sailboat at my side
and the five-starred red flag in my hands
that was waving in the wind,
with the world's media focused on us,
and, of course, winning a medal and brought honour for our country.
The 24-year-old from Shanghai couldn't be caught,
and in a masterful display of sailing,
crossed the finish line eight seconds ahead of
her closest rival, to secure her first Olympic gold medal.
I just feel very proud of my nation. Yeah...
Yeah, because sailing in China is not that popular,
so maybe after the gold medal, I can introduce
the sport to more people in China.
Yeah, let them feel the joy of sailing on the wild sea.
Ever since Xu Lijia won the Olympic gold medal,
she has become everybody's idol.
Since participating in the Olympic Games,
her Olympic success has greatly promoted sailing in Qingdao.
After hosting the Olympic Games,
Qingdao has become the capital of sailing in China.
I feel amazed at the speed of the city's development.
I am also very happy that the government spares no effort
to promote this sport
and offers opportunities for school kids to try OP sailing
through programmes like their
Sailing into Schools initiative.
We have trained over 20,000 students.
Over 6,000 students have received their certification.
People's attitudes towards sailing have changed
tremendously,
from being unfamiliar with the sport, to knowing it well
and actively participating in it.
Sailing athletes have received a great surge in opportunities,
because the whole city is using every means
to promote the sport.
We work with many high-end international
sailing organisations
to bring a large number of top-level competitions
to the city. For example, the International Sailing League
Sailing World Cup (SWC),
the International Extreme Sailing Series,
and one session of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The 2008 Olympic Games has indeed helped promote sports
in Qingdao to a new level.
20 to 30 national and international sports events
featuring sailing are held here every year.
I was born and raised in Qingdao,
so I have a deep connection with the sea.
I remember in 2008, I looked out to the sea and the sailors,
I saw the Olympic teams riding the waves so bravely.
It made me want to be on the beautiful sea too,
facing the winds and riding the waves.
When I sail, I feel like I'm one with the sky and the sea.
I am as free as the seagulls and the fish in the sea.
(SAILING WOULDN'T BE QINGDAO'S ONLY BREAKTHROUGH)
(AT THE BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES)
(QINGDAO SPORTS SCHOOL)
During the 2008 Olympic Games,
our school contributed a lot to our country
and to Qingdao city.
I remember in 2008, 15 of the athletes groomed by us
participated in the Beijing Games.
Zhang Juanjuan, a student from our school,
won the gold medal in women's individual archery
and broke the 24-year Korean monopoly on women's archery.
When Zhang Juanjuan was 15,
she was learning pistol target shooting at a school in Laixi.
I poached her for the archery team.
I began to practise archery after being selected
by coach Qu.
When I first started training, we didn't use a bow or arrow.
Instead, every day we just practised with our hands.
I had strength training every day.
Only when we were strong enough were we given real bows.
She practised really hard after coming here.
She was the leader of her team.
She was very smart and she was a quick learner.
In less than a year she was competing in provincial games.
She won seven individual gold medals at that level.
When we went to the national level,
she won all six of the gold medals in her age group.
Qingdao Sports School was very small then.
I remember I shot my first arrow in a tiny room,
equal in size to a dorm room.
The distance to the target was just four or five metres.
During winter it was too cold to train outside.
And we had no indoor facilities.
There was no heating,
so our coach warmed us with an electric stove.
The conditions were difficult, but we had lots of fun.
We even used the electric stove to bake buns for us to eat.
Those days in my alma mater,
the difficult conditions only increased my determination.
You could say that I might not be who I am today
without the Sports School.
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen,
let's give a standing ovation to our Olympic medallists!