Shanghai Taking Aim As Destination For Int’l Sports Events
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Shanghai’s Qi Zhong Stadium At Center
Of China’s Tennis Development |
Beijing is hosting the ’08 Olympics, but Shanghai “is the Chinese city making
a regular mark on the international sporting calendar,” according to Geoff Dyer
of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Zou Marketing GM Terry Rhoads: “There is certainly a lot
of healthy competition between Shanghai and Beijing to become the leading sports
city in China.” Dyer noted this week’s ATP Tennis Masters Cup marks the debut
of Shanghai’s new $150M Qi Zhong tennis stadium, “which is to become the centerpiece
of a strategy to develop the sport in China.” The stadium’s design by architect
Mitsuru Senda has “precisely the sort of engineering flair that his Chinese clients
were looking for.” The “focal point is the movable roof,” which “resembles a flower
when it is opened.” But tournament organizers still “face tough challenges in
making a success of the Masters Cup, which will be in Shanghai until at least
2007.” The stadium “is not easy to reach, being [16.78 miles] from the city centre
with no easy public transport options.” When the Qi Zhong complex is finished
next year, it will have 40 outdoor and indoor courts and will be used as “one
of the main training centres for young Chinese players.” Dyer noted that “from
only a handful of people 10 years ago, Shanghai alone now has about 100,000 regular
tennis players” (FINANCIAL
TIMES, 11/12).
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