The State Administration of Sports said that the Chinese Olympic delegation is aiming to win up to 36 gold medals at the upcoming Athens Olympic Games. The Chinese Olympic delegation is aiming to win up to 36 gold medals at the upcoming Athens Olympic Games. The State Administration of Sports said at its official website the goal of the 400 strong delegation is to grab at least 17 gold medals with the hope of coming home with 36. The players are hoping to lead the second tier grou...

Larger than expected number of people in Shanghai have been spending their mornings watching basketball on TV this week, a trend broadcasters attribute to the "Yao Ming effect." More than 300,000 Shanghai residents watched Shanghai-native Yao in his first ever NBA playoff game on April 18, according to a ratings report released yesterday by TNS Sport China, a division of CVSC-Sofres Media. Around 264,000 people in Beijing watched the game while about 80,000 watched in Guangzhou. T...

November is the time of year when morning exercisers skip the stretches in favour of longer lie-ins cuddling their hot water bottles. But not triathletes. November 9 marks the second year the Hainan Discovery Triathlon will take place at Yalong Bay, Sanya. Many athletes consider this the best triathlon venue in Asia, with its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. Two hundred and fifty competitors are expected this year, including last year's champion Simon Lessing. "I was amazed ...

Sports, Leisure, life style Taiwanese businessman David Tai is the general manger for five golf courses, but ask him what business he's in and he'll answer "property". No surprise there. Tai's new to the game. It was only recently that his company, Hong Kong-listed Shanghai Real Estate Co. invested RMB 9.3 billion in five suburban locations in Shanghai to construct a series of luxury villas, each equipped with 18-hole golf courses. "Golf courses and villas are a perfect match," says Tai. "We ...

Basketball, unlike Michael Jordan's jump-shot, never fades away. In the years since Dr James Naismith invented the game in 1891, it has become one of the most popular international sports. Some of the world's most famous athletes, MJ included, are basketball players. Although the game was introduced to China in the mid 1890s, the domestic Chinese Basketball Association remains a mediocre league. But the rise of former Shanghai Sharks star Yao Ming has increased the popularity and credibility...