Chinese credit for Killanin

A CHINESE academic credits an Irishman with China’s return to the Olympic fold thirty years ago.

Professor Fan Hong, head of the Institute of Chinese Studies in UCC, credits Lord Killanin with facilitating China’s return to the Olympics in the seventies: “With the advent of ping-pong diplomacy in 1972 mainland China started to open up. The new IOC President, Lord Killanin, encouraged China to come back to the IOC on his visit there in 1977. Two years later China renewed its membership of the IOC, with Taiwan participating as China-Taipei.”

She adds: “In 1984 China participated in the Olympics after an absence of 32 years and won 15 golds. Twenty years later in Athens China came second in the gold medal table, and now the ambition is to beat the US in the medals table next year in Beijing.’’

She adds that Beijing should be ready for the Games next year: “The IOC recently visited the city and Dr Rogge, the head of the IOC, was amazed — he asked the builders to slow down, as everything is ahead of schedule.’’

Professor Fan was a senior administrator at the Chinese Sports Ministry in Beijing in the eighties and has written extensively on sport. She will deliver her talk — “Window of China, Bei Jing Olympic Games” tonight at 7.30pm in the Central Library, Grand Parade, Cork.