| Known as the land of martial arts, Sport in | | | | In 2004, FIFA officially acknowledged China |
| China today refers to the variety of | | | | as the birthplace of football, when the game |
| competitive sports played in China, including | | | | of cuju was played over 2,000 years ago. |
| Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Competitive | | | | |
| sports date back to the early Zhou Dynasty, | | | | Golf |
| with Kings granting an audience to wrestlers | | | | |
| or martial artists. The influx of modern | | | | Golf tournaments in China include the HSBC |
| sports appeared in China since the beginning | | | | Champions in Shanghai, TCL Classic in Sanya |
| of the 20th Century. Currently, football and | | | | on Hainan island, the Volvo China Open and |
| basketball dominate mainland China as the | | | | the BMW Asian Open, played in the PRC after |
| most popular sports, especially when measured | | | | 2004. The most successful Chinese golfer has |
| based on audience. In Taiwan, baseball has | | | | been Zhang Lian-Wei. The Mission Hills Golf |
| gained increasing attention. Popular amateur | | | | Club golf course at Guanlan in Shenzen is |
| sports include table tennis, badminton, | | | | said to be the world's largest. |
| martial arts and various forms of pool. | | | | |
| China's professional sports are in its | | | | At the amateur level, Golf is seen as the top |
| developmental stages. | | | | recreational sport for businesspeople and |
| | | | officials. Because of their relatively high |
| Badminton | | | | position in Chinese society, they are usually |
| | | | the only people with access to the sport of |
| Badminton is a popular sport in China. Famous | | | | Golf on mainland China. |
| Chinese badminton players include Lin Dan, | | | | |
| Cheng Shao-Chieh, Zhang Ning, Huang Sui and | | | | Grand Prix |
| Tsai Chia-Hsin. | | | | |
| | | | The Chinese Grand Prix is a Formula 1 event |
| Baseball | | | | held at the Shanghai International Circuit. |
| | | | See 2004 Chinese Grand Prix and 2005 Chinese |
| The China Baseball League was founded in | | | | Grand Prix. |
| 2002. It is not a popular sport in China. | | | | |
| | | | Ice hockey |
| Basketball | | | | |
| | | | The Chinese national women's ice hockey team |
| The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA, the | | | | is controlled by the Chinese Ice Hockey |
| NBA's Chinese counterpart) is the premier | | | | Association, and highly ranked in world |
| professional basketball league in the | | | | competition. Men's hockey, in comparison, is |
| People's Republic of China. It began in 1995. | | | | somewhat lacking. Semi-professional teams |
| The Chinese University Basketball Association | | | | have sprung up in Shenyang and Harbin. |
| is the most competitive and popular college | | | | |
| basketball competition in China. There is | | | | Martial arts |
| also the Chinese Basketball League. | | | | |
| | | | Hundreds of different styles of Chinese |
| Chinese youths are becoming more keen on | | | | martial arts have developed over the past two |
| playing basketball, especially in urban | | | | thousand years, many distinctive styles with |
| centres with limited space and grass areas, | | | | their own sets of techniques and ideas. |
| where football would not be a readily | | | | Hundreds of different styles and schools of |
| convenient option. The NBA has a huge | | | | Wushu still exist in China, but generally |
| following among Chinese youths and young | | | | they can be divided into a few distinct |
| adults, with Yao Ming being a big idol | | | | branches, including Northern and Southern |
| figure. It is not uncommon today to see young | | | | Shaolin-style Wushu. There are also Buddhist, |
| male teens clad in NBA jerseys of famous | | | | Daoist and Muslim styles. |
| players. | | | | |
| | | | Performance at international games |
| China is the third oldest basketball playing | | | | |
| nation in the world (after the United States | | | | Logo of the 2008 Beijing OlympicsChina has |
| and Canada), having been introduced to it by | | | | done very well in recent Olympic Games, |
| American YMCA missionaries in the late 19th | | | | particularly in the 2004 Summer Olympics, |
| century. | | | | when China came second overall: with being |
| | | | second in the gold medal tally, and third in |
| Cricket | | | | total medal tally with 63 (32 gold, 17 silver |
| | | | and 14 bronze). |
| Recently the Asian Cricket Council has been | | | | |
| funding the growth of cricket in China. | | | | Japan is set to host the 2008 Summer |
| Coaching support is being provided by coaches | | | | Olympics. |
| from cricketing superpowers such as Australia | | | | |
| and India. There are currently around 2,500 | | | | In the 2006 Winter Olympics, China performed |
| registered players, with the aim to have | | | | well in speed skating and figure skating. The |
| 150,000 by 2020 so the sport can receive | | | | Chinese national women's ice hockey team is |
| Chinese state funding. | | | | highly ranked in world competitions. |
| | | | |
| Football | | | | China also participated in the 2006 World |
| | | | Baseball Classic. It was eliminated after |
| Football has been one of the most well | | | | losing its first three games. |
| supported sports in China ever since it was | | | | |
| introduced in the 1900s. There is, in fact, | | | | Table tennis |
| evidence that soccer was first played in | | | | |
| China around 1000 AD, leading many historians | | | | Ping Pang Qiu (, where the colloquial term |
| to believe that the popular sport originated | | | | "Ping pong" has emerged) is the official name |
| from China[1]. From 1994 to 2004, the top | | | | for the sport of table tennis in China. Apart |
| flight of professional football was "Jia A". | | | | from the national representative team, the |
| The current Chinese Football Association was | | | | table tennis community in China continues to |
| founded in the People's Republic of China | | | | produce many world-class players, and this |
| after 1949. Its headquarters is located in | | | | depth of skill allows the country to continue |
| Beijing. The Chinese Super League is the | | | | dominating recent world titles after a short |
| premier football league in China, which was | | | | break during the 1990s. The overwhelming |
| founded in 2004, as the top of a league | | | | dominance of China in the sport has triggered |
| hierarchy that extends to four leagues. | | | | a series of rules changes in the |
| | | | International Table Tennis Federation and as |
| The women's national team has finished second | | | | part of the Olympics. Wang Liqin is currently |
| at both the World Championships and the | | | | one of the highest-ranked Chinese table |
| Olympic Games, whereas the men's national | | | | tennis players, and the highest-ranked player |
| team qualified to the Football World Cup in | | | | in the world. Deng Yaping is regarded by many |
| 2002. Despite the Chinese women's success at | | | | as one of the greatest table tennis player of |
| international competitions, however, Women's | | | | all time. The sport played an important role |
| soccer in China does not receive nearly as | | | | in China's international relations; in April |
| much attention as their counterparts in | | | | 1972, the US table tennis team were invited |
| Canada and the United States, therefore | | | | to visit China, an event later called "Ping |
| China's good trend in Women's soccer may well | | | | Pong Diplomacy". Table tennis is one of the |
| come to an end in the near future. | | | | biggest amateur recreational sports in China |
| | | | today, with an estimated 200 million players. |