Deng Yaping
Marrying sports into politics, the Straits Times reported that Deng Yaping and Wang Nan, two of China’s Olympic Games champions, are said to foray into politics full time through the Communist Youth League.
According to Analyst Xu Guoqi, “Historically, China had the tradition of selecting the best and brightest as officials from all different kinds of professions, [but] it is a new trend for athletes to enter politics directly.”
Wang Nan
But combining sports and politics do not seem to be the best option for other countries. It is a debate in itself. Even if team games are political, they are watched for enjoyment. In the Philippines for example, international boxing star Manny Pacquiao’s interest to join politics is met with disdain even with his fans. Others may counter, what do athletes know about governance?
China might be a different story. In Xu Guoqi’s book Olympic Dreams: China and Sports, he capitalized that sports geography and political geography in the Middle Kingdom is clearly connected. “Mao [Zedong] enjoyed sports. [He] understood the importance of sports in politics and international relations and used them brilliantly.”
This may be the case where sports and politics finally meet.
I worked with Deng Yaping during the Olympics. She’s already been in politics for many years now as an ambassador for the Games. She is smart and passionate, and China could do a lot worse.
That’s great to hear then. :-)