August 18, 2008 10:27 AM
What Liu Xiang's Decision Means
The big news here in Beijing today was Liu Xiang's decision to pull out of the 110m hurdles competition. It's an incredible blow to the Chinese delegation. Here's the best way I can explain China's reaction so far: a journalist on CCTV nearly started crying on camera while reporting the news.CCTV 1 cut away from the US-China softball game to show the press conference with Liu Xiang's coaches live. One of the coaches started crying while responding to a question.
Afterward, CCTV played a strange montage of Liu Xiang's warm ups today, set to an instrumental version of the Olympic theme song:
To put it in perspective: can you imagine if LeBron James tore his Achilles tendon and NBC played a three-minute long montage of James attempting to limp off the court? That's what CCTV did today for Liu Xiang.
There's another group that's affected by Liu Xiang's decision: the advertisers. If you're Cadillac, Coca Cola, Lenovo, Nike, Nutrilite, Visa, Yili or any of the other companies that the former gold medalist endorses, this news is tough to swallow.
It won't happen in public, but I'd be surprised if the bigger sponsors -- Coke and Nike in particular -- don't have a few questions for Liu Xiang's coaches. I'm sure they'd like to know why they weren't informed of the seriousness of the hurdler's injuries beforehand.
How soon will the ads featuring Liu Xiang get pulled from CCTV? Or does today's news reflect more poorly on the Chinese track & field coaches and not the sponsors? I don't have answers to either of those questions just yet.
August 18, 2008
11:44 AM
EL writes:
We need to develop more Liu Xiang type of sportmen. I think it is possible if we have organization, program, and supporting infrastruction in place to nurture them. We must focus outside our regular profession.
EL
August 18, 2008
11:45 AM
EL writes:
We need to develop more Liu Xiang type of sportmen. I think it is possible if we have organization, program, and supporting infrastruction in place to nurture them. We must focus outside our regular profession.
EL
August 18, 2008
3:49 PM
jason writes:
how can you compare lebron james to liu xiang. you are basically saying lebron james is the sole reason that america can win gold in basketball. and "a strange montage".....this comment ticks me off a little, but i guess it's just a problem of cultural differences.
August 18, 2008
11:03 PM
coviet writes:
personally i think it was such a "great performance" by both Liu and his team. everyone should see it was coming. Welcome to the worst side of chinese communists. money, power and control. hope you guys look deeper... it has been a well-crafted act. liu should have dropped out but there were so much money, pride involved. so there it went on display for everyone the "great performance"
August 19, 2008
11:58 PM
ah ping writes:
it's sorry for him to quit.but it doesn't matter.he is not the only athlete in China.The journalists write to much about liu.but for me ,he is one of the athletes that quit .
August 22, 2008
3:57 PM
Jessie writes:
Talk about patriotism crying because of an athlete Wow, I wish Bob Costas would have done that when the US lost in the women's and men's relays for track and field.