Chapter 306: A Slow Starter (1/2)
Chapter 306: A Slow Starter
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li never expected that, as a fitness coach, one day he could get the chance to go abroad for competitions with the national team. This time, it was the Austria Table Tennis Open, which was also a vital contest in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) circuit.
Days before the formal game started, there were several preliminary contests. The first one was the U21 level Youth contest, which was followed by a qualifying session. Athletes who were promoted in the qualifying session would be admitted to participate in a three-day formal contest with the other qualified competitors.
In Dai Li's eyes, this contest didn't occupy big venues, nor did it attract a large audience. Lots of Asian faces were found throughout the auditorium, most of whom were apparently either overseas Chinese, or Chinese students studying in Austria.
This looks cheerless, I remember that Austrians like ping-pong more than the other Europeans do. But look here, there are less audience members then I expected. It seems that ping-pong still remains unpopular in foreign countries.
Thinking about this, Dai Li sighed with disappointment. In his heart, Dai Li wished ping-pong's popularity would be better spread over the world, and that more people could join in this activity.
”What's going on? Why do you sigh?” Zhizhong Gu came up beside him without notice.
”Well, I just feel that we could have more people here.” Dai Li signaled Zhizhong Gu with his eyes to look around at the auditorium.
”You mean the audience? Right, there doesn't seem to be many audience members here.” Zhizhong Gu switched the topic and said, ”After all, today is a working day, many Austrians are still at work. Austrians are very diligent among Europeans, and in some areas they are similar to Germans, like, they both focus on work greatly. In addition, Austrian laws permit a 12 working-hour a day. Such rules must have caused countless strikes and protests in Southern Europe.”
”Moreover, right now it's just the opening of the contest, and famous players haven't showed up yet. Athletes in qualifying sessions are kind of nobodies, so how can they attract a big audience? Once the formal game starts, and after European athletes enter the arena, more audience members will come in. For instance, many Germans come here especially for that game.”
”Will other foreign Opens attract lots of audience members?”Dai Li asked.
”It depends. But the certain thing is that, no matter where we are, those Chinese will come support us, since they are our most loyal audiences.”
Then Zhizhong Gu asked Dai Li, ”Is this your first time to be abroad for competitions?”
Dai Li nodded. ”Right. Although this is not my first time to be abroad, I have never been out of the country for international contests before.”
”How do you feel? Can you get used to it?” Zhizhong Gu asked.
”It's better than I thought. Before I came, I thought I might have some problems in a foreign country, but actually, it's way better than I expected. The hosts are very considerate,” said Dai Li.
”The Austria Table Tennis Open has been held for years, so the hosts have gained much experience,” Zhizhong Gu said, his eyes brightening with recollection. Then he said, ”Back when the Austria Open was first held, I hadn't yet retired. But in that era, our national team athletes only participated in Asian circuits, so we rarely showed up in European tours. So, even though I was the world's No.1, I only had chances to visit Europe in big games, like World Championships and the World Cup.”
”To be honest, we didn't come to Europe, due to the lack of funds. Europe was too far from us, so we couldn't afford the cost, therefore, we only participated in Asian contests. Later, after I became a coach, we received more and more funds, so then we began to send athletes for European Opens.”
”Now you feel that the hosts are kind to us, but years ago, things were totally different. We didn't receive the same treatment. As such, what we ate, where we lived, were way worse than what we have now. I still remember that, one time, we went to Germany for competition, and those Germans could speak English, but they spoke German on purpose. We didn't have sufficient German translators, so problems emerged during intercommunication. We risked missing the playing time.”
”At that time, we could clearly sense that those Europeans rousted us deliberately. They considered us as robbers, assuming that we participated in European tours, aiming at grabbing their championships and rewards. However, at present, Europeans would never show the same face to us. I think you can feel that the hosts are pretty good to us. They are very conscientious and responsible,” Zhizhong Gu said, looked around, then asked Dai Li, ”You know why?”
”Because we are strong?” answered Dai Li.
”For decades, our National Ping-Pong Team has been maintaining our strong competence. Back when we were treated so poorly, we were still the No.1 in the world.” Zhizhong Gu continued with a smile, ”Look around, you may find some clues.”
Dai Li turned around, but he didn't find anything special.