China has named a player of mixed African and Chinese heritage to the national men’s volleyball team in a noteworthy selection in one of the country’s most popular sports.
Ding Hui (丁慧), 19, is being heralded as the first “black” athlete to play top level sport in China, media reports said yesterday.
Ding, who also played on China’s national youth squad in 2004, was named in China’s national volleyball team this week and is expected to be key to the nation’s drive towards the London 2012 Olympics, the Beijing News reported.
The native of the eastern city of Hangzhou was raised by his Chinese mother and began playing competitive volleyball in his mid-teens, according to the official Xinhua news agency and other reports.
Ding’s father is believed to be South African, although reports did not indicate whether he is in touch with his son.
“Black skin, thick lips and big white teeth are the main characteristics of Ding Hui’s appearance,” said a report on the sports section of Netease.com, one of China’s main Internet portals.
“Due to the special characteristics of his bloodline Ding Hui is blessed with pliability, toughness and agility and has been been undergoing volleyball training at special sports schools since he was young,” it said.
According to the reports, no black athlete has represented China on a national team.
“The coaching staff has been watching him for some time ... his demeanor is the most important thing for me,” the Beijing News quoted national team head coach Zhou Jianan (周建安) as saying.
“He has a very active demeanor on the court, so he will bring a lot of fire to our team,” Zhou said.
Zhou praised Ding’s instincts and passing, placing him among the country’s top five players on both defense and offense.
Zhou said Ding, who plays the libero position, had been a natural for national selection, but the move raised eyebrows with some.
“Countless numbers of people have called me about this issue today, but I just tell them that his ethnic background and family situation are his own private matter about which I have no opinion,” Zhou was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
While Ding’s national selection was unusual, dark-skinned athletes are not rare in China. Exchange students from Africa and elsewhere have featured on university teams and amateur squads, while there are many black players in the professional soccer and basketball leagues.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwanese shortstop Cheng Tsung-che on Friday made history for the Boston Red Sox’s Triple A affiliate, hitting the Worcester Red Sox’s first cycle, while netting two runs, as they beat fellow Taiwan teammate Stuart Fairchild’s Columbus Clippers. The 24-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect went 4-4, completing a full cycle, starting with a triple in the second inning off Ryan Webb in the WooSox’s 9-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians’ Triple A affiliate. He scored in the same inning after teammate Vinny Capra, a fellow former Pirate, grounded out. The Pingtung County native followed that up with a walk in the third, an
RSS