正文
圖，在8月10 號中國對比利時的足球賽後一個失望的觀眾。
紐約時報報導，中宣傳部已下令國內主要新聞機構立即停止對中國男足在奧運會中
作為的評論，兩個中國記者在采訪時說。
雖然足球是中國最受歡迎的運動，球迷們不斷對中國男隊的令人沮喪的表現感到失
望。多年來，中國的新聞媒體-包括記者，國家通訊社，中央電視台，主要的電視網
絡-加入了人們對男子足球隊的抨擊。
但，在中國隊於8月13日以3:0失去了最後一場對巴西的比賽 後，中宣部顯然厭倦了
這些挑剔與笑話。某大報接到命令，停止批評男足，據一位在該報工作的記者說。
另一位中國新聞工作者周三晚間證實，政府已發出一份這樣的通知。記者不願透露
姓名，耽心政府報複。
另據國家辦的英文中國日報文章，中國的金牌獲得者將各獲得免稅獎金五點一萬美
元，比2004年雅典奧運會中國金牌獲得者的獎金多約二點二萬美元。1984年中國第
一次參加的洛杉磯奧運會金牌獲得者收到的獎金少於900美元。
香港立法會將於於9月7日舉行選舉，中國政府本周派出大部分的金牌得主到香港。一
些香港的政客們在擔心運動員將會為親北京的候選人助選。
China Defends Its Reviled Soccer Team
By EDWARD WONG，August 29, 2008
BEIJING ù The Olympic Games have shown that sports and national pride are
still tightly intertwined, and perhaps nowhere more so than in the minds
of Chinese leaders.
The evidence is indisputable: the more than $40 billion spent on the Games,
the record haul of 51 gold medals by Chinese athletes, the invitations to
80 world leaders to attend the opening ceremony.
Now, the government is taking a step to shore up the reputation of that
most dubious of national sports icons: the menós soccer team.
No sports team is more vilified in China, but the Central Propaganda Department
has ordered major news organizations to cease their criticism of it, two
Chinese journalists said.
Although soccer is Chinaós most popular sport, fans are continually frustrated
by the dismal performance of the menós team. For years, the Chinese news
media ù including Xinhua, the state news agency, and CCTV, the main television
network ù have joined the public in attacking the team. The players on the
menós Olympic team, some of whom also play on the national team, drew scorn
during the Beijing Games when they lost two of their preliminary matches
and mustered a mere 1-1 draw against New Zealand.
The mockery reached new heights after two Chinese players received red cards,
automatic ejections, in a match against Belgium on Aug. 10 ù one player
for kicking a player in the groin, the other (the team captain, no less)
for elbowing an opposing player.
After the Chinese team lost its final match on Aug. 13 to Brazil 3-0, the
Propaganda Department apparently got fed up with the carping and the jokes.
One major newspaper received an order to stop criticizing the menós team,
a reporter for the newspaper said. Another Chinese journalist confirmed
on Wednesday night that the government had issued a general order along
those lines.
The journalists spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing government
reprisal.
On an Internet message board, an anonymous contributor who works for a television
or radio news program said in a post dated Aug. 16 that the Central Propaganda
Department had ǒdemanded that the press not overly makes quips about or
sneer at the Chinese menós soccer team.ō
A sports reporter expressed doubt that the order would stick. ǒYou canót
stop criticism of the menós soccer team,ō he said in an interview. ǒEveryone
hates the team.ō
Scrutiny of the team inevitably raises political questions, because Chinese
fans often blame corruption in the state-run Chinese Football Association
for the teamós lackluster performance. They despise Xie Yalong, who leads
the federation. At soccer games in China, fans in stadiums often chant,
ǒXie Yalong must resign!ō
A quick look at Chinese news outlets this week showed no critical articles
about the soccer team. But while the harsh words have ebbed in the news
media, acid comments continued to pop up on prominent Web portals like Sohu.
An article in The New York Times on Aug. 15 about the derisive coverage
of the menós team has been translated and posted on several sites.
Even with the prohibition against criticism, the soccer teamós players are
painfully aware of their shortcomings. A post-game comment by Li Weifeng,
30, who was captain during the Brazil match, has been widely circulated.
ǒWe play soccer like the Brazilians play Ping-Pong,ō he said.
But even that attempt at self-deprecation was criticized ù by the table
tennis coach for the Brazilian Olympic team. ǒIn fact, Brazilian Ping-Pong
is not weak,ō the coach, Wei Jianren, a former player in China who moved
to Brazil 19 years ago, said in an interview with Xinhua. ǒBrazilian Ping-Pong
is not among the top ones in the world, but itós in the leading position
in the Latin America region.ō
During the Games, the Chinese government tried to censor domestic coverage
of other embarrassing moments for Chinese sports. When the star hurdler
Liu Xiang dropped out of competition because of an injury, the authorities
ordered Chinese news media not to criticize him or to investigate the nature
and severity of his problems.
The news media are now focusing on the triumphant aftermath of the Olympics.
An article in China Daily, the state-run English language newspaper, said
Wednesday that the countryós gold medalists would each get a tax-free bonus
of $51,000, about $22,000 more than the bonus Chinese gold medalists received
after the 2004 Athens Games. In the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the first modern
Summer Olympics in which China took part, the gold medalists received bonuses
of less than $900 each. China won 15 gold medals that year.
The Chinese government is sending most of the countryós gold medal winners
to Hong Kong this week, before legislative elections there on Sept. 7. Some
politicians in Hong Kong are worried that the athletes will campaign on
behalf of pro-Beijing candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/sports/olympics/29beijing.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&
pagewanted=print
• 這就是湖溫要打造的和諧社會!連足球都不能批評,更不要說批評政府了 -救國- ♂ 給 救國 發送悄悄話 創建自己的博客 (0 bytes) (4 reads) 8/29/08
• 要我對中國男足在奧運會中的戰績進行評論得給個萬八千才行... -aa123- ♂ 給 aa123 發送悄悄話 aa123 的個人博客首頁 (0 bytes) (4 reads) 8/29/08
• 國內的報紙上對國足的評論還少啊？編新聞也沒有這樣編的？ -快樂中國- ♂ 給 快樂中國 發送悄悄話 快樂中國 的個人博客首頁 (0 bytes) (4 reads) 8/29/08
• 這就是你們所說的“民主”“言論自由”？運運們怎麽啞巴啦？ -oligarch- ♂ 給 oligarch 發送悄悄話 oligarch 的個人博客首頁 (0 bytes) (2 reads) 8/29/08
• 胡說，我剛從國內回來，報紙上評中國足球的不少，不過現在大家都不感 -newhnad- ♂ 給 newhnad 發送悄悄話 創建自己的博客 (0 bytes) (7 reads) 8/29/08