https://www.scmp.com/rss/143956/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Every four years when Fifa World Cup fever envelops billions of fans around the world, a question emerges: why isn’t China – a world power when it comes to the Olympics – capable of finding 11 players among its hundreds of millions of eligible men to form a team that can qualify? In the year that China last qualified for a World Cup, 2002, one of us published a paper that identified economic, demographic, cultural and climatic factors which influenced international football performance. It found... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3202372/why-china-arent-fifa-world-cup-2022-and-what-could-boost-their-chances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3202372/why-china-arent-fifa-world-cup-2022-and-what-could-boost-their-chances?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2022 06:33:40 +0000 The 23-metre ketch Lady Eugenie is moored just off the east coast of Australia’s island state of Tasmania, where guides Adrien Butler, Maddy Davies and passengers hop aboard for a three-day Wineglass Bay sail-hike trip with Tasmanian Walking. The first hike is to Haunted Bay – about a four-hour circuit. We drop anchor at Shoal Bay, and head ashore to follow a sandy track into a forest of blue gums, eating native cherries as we go. Ninety minutes later we scramble down a trail to the rocky... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2143445/hike-and-sail-tasmanias-stunning-east-coast-style-no-boots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2143445/hike-and-sail-tasmanias-stunning-east-coast-style-no-boots?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Apr 2018 03:45:15 +0000 As you fly in to Ayers Rock Resort, it's startling to see that Australia's so-called red centre is remarkably green. Two years of record rainfall has made the desert explode into life - a vivid landscape of spinifex grasses, mulga trees, bloodwoods and desert oaks carpeting the blood-red desert floor. Uluru and Kata Tjuta have never looked better. The way to experience them in style is at a camp called Longitude 131. After a 10-minute drive from Ayers Rock Airport, I arrive at a cluster of 15... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006606/rock-some-tents-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006606/rock-some-tents-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Festival time in New Orleans is looming and if you fancy visiting during Mardi Gras (February) or Jazz Fest (April and May), now's the time to book. At any time of year, however, this city is dedicated like no other to eating, drinking and having a good time. A few handy hints will help you suck the very best out of The Big Easy, like a Louisiana crawfish from its shell. The historic French Quarter is where you'll want to stay, and there's a huge range of hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs. The best... https://www.scmp.com/article/988784/streetcar-youll-desire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988784/streetcar-youll-desire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Perched high atop a plateau in the Green Mountains of southeast Queensland, O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat has been accommodating hikers and birdwatchers since the O'Reilly family opened its first guesthouse in the Gold Coast Hinterland in 1926. Rooms at the original guesthouse have no televisions, no phones and no internet. Shane O'Reilly, third generation of the family that built the place and now general manager, says some guests even complain about being 'out of touch with the world'.... https://www.scmp.com/article/986511/higher-calling-discover-lost-world-among-green-behind-gold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/986511/higher-calling-discover-lost-world-among-green-behind-gold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000