Urgent call for 'rejuvenation' of Chinese wrestling

"As a national sport, Chinese wrestling is being marginalized in China. Meanwhile, it is flourishing in countries like Germany, France and Italy." said Liu Shaohua, a noted scholar in sports field and member of the CPPCC Standing Committee of Inner Mongolia.

Chinese wrestling is one of the Chinese ancient sports dating far back 4,000 years ago. From 1970s to early 1980s, the famous Inner Mongolian wrestler Dong Yachen had led an overwhelming wrestling team in defeating international competitors, creating myth-making "Inner Mongolia era" and "Dong Yachen era". It is no exaggeration to say that Chinese wrestling was carried forward earliest in Inner Mongolia.

However, Chinese wrestling is facing challenges from international competitors. But as Chinese wrestling dropped out of the Olympic Games 2008, the game, which used to achieve glorious success, is now flourishing abroad instead.

Liu Shaohua said the sports bureaus of Inner Mongolia should do their best to gain the support of the autonomous region and attach more importance to the rejuvenation and inheritance of Chinese wrestling, such as establishing wrestling bases, preservation of the talented and actively list wrestling as an event of national games in Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Gai Zhiyi, an economist in Inner Mongolia autonomous region believes to rejuvenate the Chinese wrestling in Inner Mongolia, the celebrity charm of the "Wrestling King" Dong Yachen should also be brought into full play in the training, matches organizing, techniques instruction and sports professional education.