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China calls up its first Black athlete

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  • China calls up its first Black athlete



    Ding Hui, who is affectionately nicknamed Xiao Hei, or Little Black, by his team mates, was included in the national team's new 18-man training squad.

    The son of a South African father and a Chinese mother, Ding is expected to play a key role in China's push for gold at the London Olympics in 2012.

    However, despite the fact that he was born in China and only speaks Mandarin and his city's local dialect, his elevation has stirred up some racial prejudices among his countrymen.

    Commentators have noted that he has a "pleasant and perky nature" and is talented at "singing and dancing". On Chinese internet forums, he has been lauded for the "whiteness" of his teeth and the "athleticism of his genes".

    China's black population is tiny, and attitudes remain relatively unsophisticated. One predominately African suburb in the southern city of Guangzhou is cheerfully referred to as "Chocolate City".

    In the run-up to last year's Olympic Games in Beijing, large numbers of blacks were rounded up by police on suspicion of being drug dealers.

    However, the black population is growing rapidly. Since 2003, when China started pouring investments into Africa, there has been a significant movement of Africans in the opposite direction. Guangzhou authorities believe there are now 100,000 Africans from Nigeria, Guinea, Cameroon, Liberia and Mali in the city, and the flow is growing by 30 to 40 per cent annually.

    Mr Ding told the Shanghai Wenhui newspaper that "people seem to care more about my heritage and appearance, but all I want to do is to play good volleyball". Referring to China's policy of drafting foreigners to boost its teams, he added: "I am not a foreign aid. I want to be included."

    Li Shiping, the captain of the volleyball team, said the players had been irritated by the gawping of the Chinese media. "I had hoped the press would not dig out the boy's African heritage or his family details but instead focus on his skills and performance," he said, adding that there would be no chance to see Ding until a press conference next week.


    Sports channel covers stories and pictures of soccer, basketball, tennis, motor racing, stars and Beijing Olympics. Chinadaily.com.cn is the largest English portal in China, providing news, business information, BBS, learning materials. The Website has channels as China, BizChina, World, Opinion, Sports/Olympics, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Culture, Citylife, Photo, Forum and Weather.


    Ding's father is from South Africa, but he was brought up by his mother in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang province. He showed early promise as an athlete and was accepted into a special sports school.

    In 2003, he became a member of the provincial volleyball team and later progressed to the national junior squad. His selection for the senior squad is the logical progression for the talented youngster who plays in the libero position.

    Starring at the Youth World Championships

    Ding first grabbed public attention at the World Youth Championships in Mexico in 2007 when the Chinese team took a surprising second place.

    The 1.85-meter player deeply impressed Zhou Jian'an, head coach of the national team. "I've been watching him play for some time. He is in good physical condition and has great potential, but he is a little young to play at the Beijing Olympics," Zhou said in 2007.

    A year later, Zhou recruited Ding for the new national squad that will train for the London Olympics. The coach acknowledged that Ding had brought media attention but denied this was the reason for his selection. "We pick players for their ability and to meet the needs of the team as a whole," said Zhou. "He's no different from the other players. They are all Chinese."

    Ding echoed the coach, saying that he didn't want to be treated differently from the other players. But he has suddenly found himself thrust into the spotlight and has to field constant phone calls from the press.

    "They all want to interview me, maybe just because I have overseas origins," said Ding. "But I want to build my reputation through my performances on the court."

  • #2
    He is a native Chinese who grows up in Hangzhou.The only difference is that his father is an african,not a big deal.
    Just like the Zidane case in soccer,I don't think it can show anything related to naturalization...

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    • #3
      A really interesting article, especially the comments being made about him - i don't think many of the comments are mean-spirited but just somewhat ignorant?

      Stuart
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