China ready? Yao ready?
By Wu Jian

男篮世锦赛的战鼓即将敲响, 球迷们的心跳也日渐提速. 这次体育盛宴带给中国球迷的激动跟2个月前的足球世界杯截然不同. 因为这次, 我们不再是旁观者, 我们是参与者. 中国球迷对中国男篮的期望格外沉重, 我们比谁都渴望着篮球场上的胜利, 似乎冥冥中可以以此来弥补足球带来的心理创伤. 中国男篮, 你准备好了么?



Basketball fans across the world have every reason to be excited, as the long-awaited World Basketball Championship is just around the corner. Chinese sports enthusiasts are feeling a different kind of excitement to that which surrounded the World Cup 2 months ago, because this time, we are a part of the game in a real sense. We are not going to Japan without hopes; we are preparing for a real fight. Starting on August 19 and finishing on September 13, the 2006 tournament will split its teams into 4 groups of 6 countries. China will be in group D, competing against the US the number one tip for the title. Like the recently concluded football World Cup, there will be a round robin tournament in each group, with the top four going through into the knockout stages. The champion will automatically qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

With only a couple of days to go, the questions on everybody's lips are: Is China ready for the big fight? What problems do we have? Have Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi fully recovered? How far can China carry their challenge?

Areas for concern

Jonas Kazlauskas, head coach of China's national basketball team, has a lot of worries before the fight. He regards the results his team has won from the warm-up games as not up to standard, including a humiliating loss to the US. There are a number of reasons. Kazlauskas complains that currently, injury is the biggest problem holding his players back. Gong Luming, the team manager, admits that the Chinese basketball team has long been plagued by two weaknesses: rebounds and a susceptibility to turnovers.

Yao: We are not the best

Yao is back. But will he be able to save the team? The NBA giant, who has for a long time been plagued by injury, is recovering steadily. But will he recover fully in time to bring his best game onto the courts? Nobody can be sure about that. And of course, basketball is never a one-man game. Yao denies that he and Wang Zhizhi, another star player, have made the current team the nation's best ever, despite what quite a few basketball enthusiasts may believe. He has said that the current team has too many inexperienced young players, and they need time to mature. Yao also echoed the head coach in saying that injury is the biggest problem he and his fellow players are facing.

Chen finally makes the list

The list of players going to Japan has been decided. As many hoped, Chen Jianghua, a young guard who won nationwide attention with sparkling performances in the warm-up matches, particularly in the game against the US, was finally added to the list after China's first Stankovic game against Germany. Those near the selection process say Chen wasn't on the original list because he was thought to be too young and inexperienced at this level, but his performances in the last couple of games changed the coach's mind. Zhang Songtao, a center, has also been chosen in case Yao needs to be substituted or rested for any reason.

2008: the final exam

Concerned as he is with his team's results in the coming games, Kazlauskas has a much more long-term goal to worry about: the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As Hu Jia, an official with the Chinese Basketball Association, jokingly puts it: the 2005 Asian Championship was just a quiz; the 2006 World Championship is no more than a mid-term test; and the 2008 Olympics are the final exam.

Group stage games for China

August 19 (Saturday) China vs. Italy
August 20 (Sunday) China vs. US
August 22 (Tuesday) China vs. Porto Rico
August 23 (Wednesday) China vs. Senegal
August 24 (Thursday) China vs. Slovenia

China battered in Stankovic Cup
中国男篮斯杯小组赛两战皆输
The Yao-led Chinese basketball team suffered two consecutive losses, 73-82 to Germany and 78-88 to American champions Brazil, in the Stankovic Cup, a 6-nation international event. These were Yao Ming's first two games since he recovered from injury. Despite the losses, Chen Jianghua, the youngest player in the team, gave two excellent performances which changed the coach's mind and won him a ticket to Japan.

Man. United to extend contract with Rooney
曼联续签鲁尼
Manchester United are ready to open talks with star striker Wayne Rooney over a new contract, the club's chief executive David Gill revealed on August 11. Rooney has become a crucial figure in United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's side and forms part of a young group of players seen as key to the Old Trafford club's future.



Cassano applauds Capello as coach
卡萨诺拍新教头"马屁"
Italian striker Antonio Cassano believes Fabio Capello, the newly-selected Real Madrid coach, will bring out his true worth at the Spanish first division's top club. "Capello knows me well and he knows what I'm capable of," Cassano told Marca, a Spanish sports newspaper on August 12. "I'm certain that he will lead us to great achievements because he is the best. "

Beckham dropped from England squad
小贝退出国家队
Reports say David Beckham will not be listed in new England manager Steve McClaren's first squad. According to BBC Sport, citing unnamed sources in the FA, Beckham will not be in the squad and while a recall is not impossible, it is considered "highly unlikely" he will get the chance to add to his 94 caps. The 31-year-old stepped down as captain in June after six years.



Age cheating punished as severely as doping
谎报年龄按"禁药罪"论处
Age cheating will be treated with the same seriousness as doping, Lamine Diack, head of the world athletics governing body (IAAF) told reporters on August 10 in Mauritius at the 15th African championships. He was referring to a recent case of cheating by two Kenyans, Thomas Longorisiwa and Emmanuel Chamer, who obtained passports bearing fake ages with the intention of taking part in the World Junior Championships in Beijing on August 15-20.

Vocabulary
rebound 篮板
batter 击败
susceptibility 易感性
striker 前锋
turnover 失误
doping 禁药