Social media outrage as China swim stars fall foul of physical tests at Nationals
- Tests are ‘here to stay’ says China swimming chief after widespread criticism of top swimmers missing out, despite setting records in the pool
- Rules by General Administration of Sport have been implemented across the board from swimming to chess, with even elite athletes struggling
Chinese sports authorities have been criticised for their new fitness rules as the ongoing National Swimming Championships descend into farce.
No matter what happens in the pool, swimmers can only progress to the finals based on the results of pre-tournament physical tests, which has seen many race winners miss out.
The General Administration of Sport (GAS) in China made the ruling in February, implementing it across the board, with elite athletes subject to standardised physical tests. It has seen renewed public focus after widespread criticism at the National Swimming Championships in Qingdao.
“The swimmers took part in vertical jumps, 30-metre sprints, pull-ups, trunk muscle strength training, and 3,000-metre runs in the two-day physical tests,” Xinhua reported.
The two-day tests were undertaken by 300 swimmers before the championships started on September 26. They run until October 2.
The situation has resulted in record-breaking swims in the pool that has seen the bizarre situation where race winners have missed out on the final, with the top eight physical test results among the best 16 deciding who progresses.
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By the end of the third day of competition on Monday, five race winners had missed out. These included Wang Jianjiahe, who broke an Asia record, and Yu Hexin, who set a new national record in the men’s 50m freestyle on Saturday. World champion Fu Yuanhui also missed out.
“We don’t mean that we don’t care about physical fitness. We just think physical fitness may not be a decisive factor,” Wang told domestic media after setting a new 1,500m freestyle record.
China’s top-level swimmers missing out – even after meeting the Olympic qualification mark in many cases – kicked off debate on the internet, where the topic trended on Weibo. Many criticised the GAS ruling for its one-size fits-all approach. Professional coaches also made that criticism in a feature in online newspaper The Paper.
However, Chinese Swimming Association chairman Zhou Jihong made it clear that the reform was here to stay and “everyone is equal before the rules”, she told China Sports News on Sunday.
“This time the National Championship and Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Qingdao is the first time that we have included a physical fitness test in a formal national competition. We will continue to stick to this direction of competition reform.”
Zhou explained that the aim is to allow China’s athletes to compete with the best in the world.
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“The purpose of adding basic physical fitness tests in this national competition is to make up for the shortcomings of Chinese athletes and improve the competitiveness of Chinese swimmers in the world,” she said.
Athletes at the National Track and Field Championships in September complained that the physical tests were too hard, domestic media reported. In the same month at the National Gymnastic Championships, the women’s vault final only had five competitors because of the physical tests.
China’s fastest man, Su Bingtian, was ridiculed on social media in May for his 3,000m test result, which he finished in 13 minutes, 38 seconds.
Swim star Fu, who missed out on a final in Qingdao, posted on her Weibo about her difficulty in running. “I never thought that I would have a running day in this life.”
The GAS ruling in February stated that those who did not meet the physical requirements would not be eligible to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
“Physical fitness is an important foundation for athletes’ competitive ability. Strengthening physical fitness training cannot only improve the physical fitness of athletes, but also lay a solid foundation for the ability to compete well,” the ruling stated.
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“The foundation is more able to temper the will and qualities of the athletes, and forge the excellent style of tenacious struggle and never give up.”
Domestic media reported that even chess players in the new Division A have to take such tests, although their standard is to run 1,000m.
Xinhua reported on Monday that some of China’s top fencers have missed out at an event in Nanjing because of their physical test results.
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The Chinese Basketball Association is conducting its own physical tests ahead of the new season. All domestic players have to take part with a handful of exceptions.
Domestic media reported that table tennis stars Ma Long and Chen Meng passed the physical tests before the 2020 National Championships, which begin on October 1.
Last season, several Chinese Super League footballers underwent military training at the behest of the Chinese FA.
