Who will be China's flag bearer at Asiad?
(Chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2006-11-30 11:10
Sports journalists dogging officials of the Chinese delegation to Doha Asian Games since the squad's arrival at Doha have been digging out clues for the final person for the national flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Games on Friday.
 Yi Jianlian, China's star hoopster talks to a journalist as he walks out of the Doha International Airport Tuesday, November 28, 2006. [Xinhua] |
Basketball sensation and next year's NBA draft candidate Yi Jianlian now has the news for sure - "Please don't ask me about that anymore, the flag bearer is absolutely not me," he said to journalists at the Asian Games Athletes Village in Doha November 30, 2006.
The flag bearer has been kept dark. Rumors has been everywhere that Yi is the most promising one for the job since NBA star center Yao Ming, who marched with the flag in Athens Olympic Games in 2004 was allowed to skip this Asian Games.
"I prefer not to take it seriously. My prime job is to help China's basketball team win the Asian Games gold," the teen ace hoopster said.
Cui Dalin, deputy head of the Chinese sports delegation had his lips sealed in the village at the beginning except disclosing "woman athletes are not excluded".
He added that a flag bearer must accord with three conditions, namely "an established world-class athlete, known for a high moral standard and sportsmanship, and good looking".
"But the bearer does not have to be tall," Cui said, confirming Yi's exclusion.
Guo Jingjing, Wang Nan, Ding Junhui and Lin Dan - Cui finally gave in to journalists after a long time "questioning". "The final choice will be one from the four," he said.
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