Cup of China is milestone for Chinese figure skating

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, November 09, 2003

Cup of China is milestone for Chinese figure skating

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On a cold, blustering Saturday in Beijing, Li Jun sat in the stands of the Capital Gymnasium with his girlfriend, watching Ukrainian Elena Liashenko's skate on the ice. The latter finally win the women's single title at Cup of China, the third stop of International Skating Union Grand Prix, which concluded on Saturday night.

"This is the first time I came to watch a figure skating performance," Li, a Beijing resident who works for a private company, told Xinhua.

"I heard of Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo years ago. They won the world championships in 2002 and 2003, but I've never seen them in the match.

"I missed the Four Continents Championships early this year, so I came this time to watch the Cup of China. I am happy to watch such high-level competitions in Beijing," added the 24-year-old Li.

Cup of China is a new event, replacing the Nations Cup in the Grand Prix series. It had been in jeopardy during the SARS outbreak this year, but was finally approved by the ISU in August.

"This is a milestone for China," said Ren Hongguo, vice president of Chinese Skating Association (CKA).

"Although Chinese skaters have won many titles in international competitions, this is the first time that China holds a world top- level tournament."

Chen Lu won China's first figure skating world title in women's single at the 1995 World Championships. She then won two bronze medals at the 17th and 18th Winter Olympic Games.

The most popular pair Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were among the top three in pairs event in five consecutive World Championships from 1999 to 2003, including their historic victory at the World Championships in 2002 and 2003.

"It will certainly be of great help in the popularization of figure skating as well as the enhancement of its level in China," said Ren.

"The accomplishments Chinese skaters have achieved in recent years on the international stage have drawn more attention from ordinary Chinese people, as well as circles of figure skating all over the world."

"Figure skating is a popular sport in western countries, but it is still underdeveloped in China. We hope to boost its popularization this event."

According to organizers, there was an average audience of 2,500 people everyday during the Cup of China, much more than the 1,500 daily spectators at the Four Continents Championships in February. There were about 5,000 people on Friday night when Shen and Zhao captured their first title this season.

"I am happy to see that our efforts have paid off. Compared with the audience in United States or Japan, 2,500 is not a large number. But in China, it's a breakthrough," said Ren.

"The sport is beginning to spread, and a lot of hard work will be done to move it forward," he added.

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