Olympic triumph affirms nation's world-class ambitions
Young sailors compete in the Shanghai Youth Sailing Championship at Shanghai Yachting Club& Resort in August last year. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
When Chinese Olympic sailor Lu Yunxiu crossed the finish line at the Tokyo Olympics last month, 9-year-old Jerry Shi sprang to his feet to cheer.
His classmate and neighbor, seated alongside him on a sofa in Shanghai, did not fully understand why Lu's third-place finish in the women's windsurfing RS: X medal competition on July 31 won her the gold medal instead of the bronze.
The Chinese public only started to notice sailing during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. By the time I won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, people were eager to experience the sport themselves
Xu Lijia, gold medalist in the women’s Laser Radial sailing competition at the 2012 London Olympics
Jerry, who is currently training in the Optimist Class－the entry-level category in sailing, where children learn to develop basic sailing skills－was quick to explain the rules of the sport to his friend.
Despite finishing third in the medal race, for which she received six points, 24-year-old Lu emerged as winner of the 13 races in the competition with 36 net points.
There are only a relatively small number of people with a passion for sailing in China, and Jerry is one of them.
The sport is still regarded as a niche market activity, and according to estimates by the Chinese Yachting Association, or CYA, despite the nation having a population of some 1.4 billion, only about 150,000 people will be taking part in sailing by the end of this year.
However, Lu's gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics might just fan the flames of passion for the sport.
Lu told Xinhua News Agency after her victory, "I believe this medal is also just the start for windsurfing in China... and it will inspire more people to take up the sport."
Like fencing, golf and equestrian events－sports traditionally dominated by Western athletes－sailing has developed rapidly in China in the past two decades.
In the late 1990s, sailing, excluding windsurfing, was practiced in only seven provinces and cities in the country. Only a paltry 180 athletes were registered for the sport. Windsurfing was a little more popular, taking place in 13 provinces and cities with about 200 registered athletes, according to a study by Dai Zhiqiang from the Qingdao Marine Navigation Sports School in 1998.
In 1999, the CYA was set up to oversee development of sailing sports in China. This resulted in the total number of registered athletes for sailing and windsurfing rising to about 1,000 in 2006, according to Li Quanhai, the former secretary-general of the association and the current president of World Sailing.
Jerry Shi, 9, trains on Dianshan Lake in Shanghai. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The sports were given a major boost during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Yin Jian won the country's first Olympic gold in windsurfing. Xu Lijia won a bronze in sailing.
In the following years, Xu won China's first Olympic gold in sailing when she triumphed in the Laser Radial class at the 2012 London Olympics. Four years later, at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Chen Peina bagged a silver in windsurfing.
"The Chinese public only started to notice sailing during the 2008 Beijing Olympics," said Xu, who is now a freelance sports reporter.
"By the time I won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, people were eager to experience the sport themselves."
The rapid rise of sailing's popularity was also driven by growing affluence among China's middle class. Many families now send their children to sailing classes, and yachting clubs have sprung up nationwide.
According to CYA chairwoman Zhang Xiaodong, in 2019, China had about 60,000 sailboat racers and windsurfers, and there were some 200 professional yachting clubs across the country. The number of sailors and windsurfers is expected to more than double by the end of this year, bearing testimony the sports' meteoric rise.
Xu, who started out as a swimmer before switching to sailing in 1997, said: "There is every reason for sailing to be popular, because the sport is very appealing. For me, sailing means, a feeling you can't experience on land."
Lu, who started windsurfing in 2008, said: "When there is little wind, you can immerse yourself in the silence and forget your troubles. When there is a favorable wind, you can enjoy racing in the vast expanse of the sea and let your troubles blow away. When the wind is strong and the waves high, you realize that you are in control of your direction and destiny."
A windsurfer takes a short break in the lake. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Talent pool
According to Liu Xiaoma, a former coach to the national sailing team and director of the Shanghai Water Sports Center, which oversees the development of sailing sports in the municipality, sailing is poised to make major advances in China, as it is on the right development track.
Sailing started in the nation as a competitive activity that relied mainly on State-sponsored sports schools for the cultivation of talent, but the situation started to change in the years before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when concerted efforts to promote the sport expanded the talent pool.
The introduction of the Optimist Class for sailors age 6 to 15 in major competitions also helped raise interest and participation in the sport. Any sailor, regardless of whether he or she is a registered athlete, member of a yachting club, or a self-trained individual, can take part in such competitions, said Liu, one of the country's first professional sailors.
Optimist Class programs for young sailors have emerged steadily in athletics schools in coastal cities such as Qingdao, Shandong-province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Xiamen, Fujian province, and Shanghai.
In 2012, the Jing'an Youth Amateur Athletic School in Shanghai founded its sailing team, and now holds a recruitment drive every four years. The team has more than 40 members, including Jerry Shi, the 9-year-old, who joined in 2019.
Liu said that combined with other teams run by district-level amateur athletic schools and the professional team organized by the Shanghai Sports School, the municipality has some 1,000 registered amateur and full-time sailing and windsurfing athletes.
The social sector has also become involved. For example, yachting clubs play a crucial role in promoting sailing through affordable training programs.
Han Jing, left, head coach of the Shanghai Jing'an sailing team, explains the technical skills used by the Chinese team to win the gold medal in the women's rowing fours at the Tokyo Olympics. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
A sport for all
Xu said that contrary to popular belief, sailing is by no means an expensive sport, and the entry barrier is much lower than people think, both in terms of skill and cost.
"Unlike many other sports, sailing does not hinge on a participant's physicality," she said.
"With more than 100 sailing classes to choose from, people of any size or age can easily find one that is suitable for them," Xu said, adding that many yachting clubs also offer basic affordable training programs.
Efforts to popularize the sport do not simply depend on the authorities and sporting organizations－amateur participants such as Jerry can also play a key role.
Since he began sailing two years ago, the boy has become a firm advocate of the sport, introducing it to his classmates, teachers and friends outside of school.
Following Lu's Olympic triumph, Jerry invited his classmate on a day trip to watch his training sessions on Dianshan Lake in a Shanghai suburb.
"Come and enjoy, you won't be disappointed," he told his friend. "We have many older sisters and brothers in the team who are just as good as the champion Lu Yunxiu!"
Li Yange contributed to this story.
