83.Zhang Boling: the First Advocator of Olympics in China
http://www.tj-summerdavos.cn 2014-09-08 19:52

The 29th Summer Olympic Games opened in Beijing on August 8, 2008. Chinese Olympic dream of one century finally came true and people could not help recalling Mr. Zhang Boling, the first advocator of Olympics in China.

Zhang Boling was born in Tianjin in 1876. He was the founder and first president of Nankai School as well as the pioneer of Chinese Olympics. His most important contribution to education is sports. Among the educators in Chinese modern history, no body but Zhang Boling could love sports and know sports so well.

On education, he contended several times that the goal of education was to save the nation and education could transform the Chinese society. The key was: “Transform her morality, transform her intelligence and transform her physique”. He said that: “Among morality, intelligence and physique, physique is the weakest in Chinese education”, “If we want to strengthen our nation; firstly we must strengthen our body.”

According to some materials, Zhang Boling took his students to participate in the sports games held by youth league in Nanshi. In his advocacy, Nankai School set up fitness class of 2 hours every Wednesday. On such school collections, students could learn sports knowledge and skills. And this class became the tool for Zhang Boling to spread the sports spirit.

In 1907, Zhang Boling made a speech which could be written into the Chinese Olympic Annals. His speech made Chinese people know what were Olympics and the Olympic Games which only started 10 years ago. He thus won the reputation of “the first advocator of Olympics in China.”

In the same year, he said in the fifth Tianjin Inter-School sports games that: “The success of this sports games makes me full of hope to our athletes for the Olympic Games in the near future… Our nation should form a sports team to Olympic Games.”

This sonorously powerful speech became the first summon for China to the Olympics. On October 9-13, 1909, Nankai High School and Tianjin Christianity Youth League held jointly an annual sports game. In the award ceremony, he introduced the details of London Olympic Games to the students. In order to spread the Olympic spirits, he initiated the first Sports Alliance Games with the aim of Olympic Games, which was also the first National Sports Games in China.

In order to promote the Olympic spirits in China, Zhang Boling and some international friends set up Far East Amateur Sports Association and held Far East Sports Games. All the work in this game was in line with the standards of Olympic committee. From the name “Far East Olympic Games”, people could see his deep-rooted Olympic complex.

After 7 years, in 1920, Far East Sports Games became the first regionally international sports organization which was authorized by International Olympic Committee. In 1924, Chinese Amateur Sports Federation and Chinese Sports Association merged Chinese National Sports Association and Zhang Boling was selected as the honorary president.

Chinese National Sports Association promoted and completed the great plan of China to join in the Olympic family. In 1928, on the suggestion of Zhang Boling, Chinese National Sports Association sent out representatives to attend the 9th International Olympic Committee. In 1931, International Olympic Committee formally acknowledged it as Chinese Olympic Committee, which selected athletes to participate in 10th and 11th Olympic Games. Although the results were not so good, the significance was great. Chinese athletes presented in world top field and Chinese representatives stepped up the honorary seating stage for the first time. Under the Olympic flag, Chinese athletes competed with contestants from other countries for the first time also. Chinese Olympic history came into a new stage.

The president of International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge spoke highly of Mr. Zhang Boling for his “unremitting efforts and outstanding contribution to realize and promote Olympic spirits in China”.

 
Source:Enorth.com.cn

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