bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jonathan White

Olympic powerhouse China is facing up to the reality that the state sports system is failing in men’s team sports.
On Sunday evening both the men’s football and men’s volleyball teams missed out on qualification for Tokyo 2020.
The football failing came with defeat to Uzbekistan at the AFC Under-23 Championships in Thailand, which ensured Hao Wei’s side would not progress from the group stage at a tournament where the top three teams book a ticket to Tokyo.
In the volleyball, disappointment came on home soil. Reigning Asian champions Iran beat them in the final of the continental qualifying tournament in Jiangmen, Guangdong province.

#Tokyo2020 COMES TRUE FOR IRAN ! #6 Seyed wraps it up against China and triggers the celebration! Final score 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-14)

Full #FIVBCOQT coverage https://t.co/pAxkG8Eh29#Volleyball @IRIVF pic.twitter.com/PdaLKiGnes
— Volleyball World (@FIVBVolleyball) January 12, 2020

Sunday’s double failure news has dominated China’s newspapers, with the English-language Global Times and China Daily carrying headlines on the failures of China’s men.
“Team China failed to qualify for Tokyo Games” was a trending topic on Weibo, with more than 23 million views by Tuesday morning.

FULL-TIME | China PR U23 0-2 Uzbekistan U23

Goals from Islomjon Kobilov and Nurillo Tukhtasinov give their first win in Group C and eliminate from the #AFCU23 Quarter-Finals. pic.twitter.com/UHUENwaIrB
— #AFCU23 (@theafcdotcom) January 12, 2020

There are fears that there is more to come. China’s struggling men’s basketball team may also miss out.
China hosted the Fiba Basketball World Cup last year and failed to get out of the group stage before finishing 24th of 32 teams in the final standings. Iran finished 23rd and qualified for Tokyo as the highest placed Asian team.
The team, ranked 26th in the world, have been handed a wild card to June’s Olympic qualification tournament where they will face hosts Canada and world No 7 Greece in the pool.

Unlike China, both teams can call on NBA players, with last season’s MVP the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo the star of the Greece side. The Canadian national team is also coached by Nick Nurse, who led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA championship last season.
There has been significant investment in football and basketball but it has not yet paid off. In the case of the football team, there were also rules put in place to benefit under-23 players in the domestic league.
One of the goals for football stated in 2017 by the CFA as part of their plan to become a football superpower by 2050 was to qualify for Tokyo.

In 2017, CFA published a '2020 project', as a part of the 'football superpower by 2050' plan. Goals for men's football: reach semi-final in the 2019 Asian Cup & 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, win qualification for the 2020 Olympics, FIFA ranking top 70. None of them achieved. pic.twitter.com/f07DSTORcK
— Titan Sports Plus (@titan_plus) January 13, 2020

As for basketball, despite the disappointment at the World Cup, CBA chairman Yao Ming still believes the basketball programme is on the right track.
"Only by improving the quality of the league can we develop more talent for the national programme. The poor performance of the national team at the World Cup won't discourage us to keep building our league in the right way," Yao told Xinhua at the CBA All Star Weekend on Sunday.
The inability to qualify is a clear trend, though. China will not have men’s teams in the rugby sevens, handball or hockey, while it is unlikely to make it in either water polo or baseball.

Giannis doing work in FIBA World Cup exhibition play

(via @FIBAWC)pic.twitter.com/Nz8jvzVy2t
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 12, 2019

The water polo qualifiers are in Almaty next month but there is only one spot and hosts Kazakhstan are the reigning Asian Games champions, while China finished fourth. The China team did not qualify for last year’s World Championships.
China may yet qualify in the baseball having earned a place at the final qualifying tournament with a third place finished at last year’s Asian Championships. However, there is only spot on offer and hosts Taiwan won that Asian title.
In the handball, China did not even have a team at the AHF qualifying event in Qatar last October, while Hong Kong did.

THEY DID IT! Zhu Ting & China Will Defend Their Olympic Crown In Tokyo 2020!

Match Stats & Gallery : https://t.co/akeZz1FCk5

Watch #FIVBOQT Matches: : https://t.co/M7Lg82Xw6G#FIVBOQT #Tokyo2020 #RoadToTokyo #Volleyball #Olympics pic.twitter.com/5OwuU0ZBtY
— Volleyball World (@FIVBVolleyball) August 4, 2019

It’s all a contrast to the women’s teams, who are already guaranteed to be present in volleyball, rugby sevens and hockey.
The football team have a qualifying tournament in South Korea next month while the handball team are in a final qualifying tournament in Hungary in March. The water polo team are vying for the single Asian spot but they are relatively strong, finishing 11th to Kazakhstan’s 10th at the worlds while also being the only Asian team in the World League.
China’s women’s teams are regulars at the Olympics with the volleyballers winning gold in Rio four years ago under coach Lang Ping, with star Zhu Ting named MVP.

They are tipped to defend their title in Tokyo having won the 2018 Asian Games and then last year’s World Cup in Japan.
“Women Hold Up Half The Sky,” said Mao Zedong but when it comes to team sports and the Olympics China’s women are carrying more than that.


Chinese diving star Chen Yuxi says she has received threats, denies she ‘has connections’

Chinese swimmers’ doping tests: Wada launches Operation Puncture to probe leak

China women’s volleyball coach Zhao says ‘hard work’ can take team back to top

Doping offence earns Tokyo Olympics swimming gold medallist a 21-month ban

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo 2020 might see no Chinese men’s teams after volleyball and football failures

China's head coach Shen Fulin (centre) gives instructions to his players during the Tokyo 2020 qualifying final against Iran. Photo: Xinhua

(200112) -- JIANGMEN, Jan. 12, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Seyed Mohammad (R) celebrates after winning the final against China at AVC men's volleyball qualification for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Jiangmen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

(200112) -- SONGKHLA, Jan. 12, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Players of China line up before the match against Uzbekistan at 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Songkhla, Thailand, Jan. 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Keren)

Sport

China


Olympic basketball team may follow as they face NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece and Canada in qualifiers
Stark contrast to China’s women’s teams, with World Cup-winning volleyball stars tipped to retain gold medal won in Rio



Tokyo 2020 might see no Chinese men’s teams after football and volleyball failure in stark contrast to women aiming for Olympic gold.
