TV's diving reality shows stir controversy  

跳水真人秀"消费"明星引争议 被指拿命搏收视

中国浙江、江苏卫视分别打造的两档跳水真人秀节目《中国星跳跃》和《星跳水立方》日前相继开播，使得“明星跳水”成为关注热点，而版权纠纷、公益捐款、明星受伤等话题也使跳水真人秀节目备受争议。

Beijing（CNS）-- Two diving reality shows produced by Zhejiang TV and Jiangsu TV, China's two local TV stations, are stirring heated debate over the participation of celebrities.

Both shows feature entertainment stars, a common practice for variety shows on the Chinese mainland.

Stars such as Han Geng and Aya both appeared on the diving shows. 

"What concerns me most is the dearth of professional diving talent in China," said Zhou Jihong, head of the Chinese National Diving Team,who serves as a coach for one of the reality shows. She also expressed her hope that more people will be encouraged to take up diving through such shows.

According to the China Swimming Association (CSA), the number of registered professional diving athletes in China is less than 1,000.

However, the shows became the target of heated controversy following the injuries of a number of stars.

Some people doubted the idea of winning audiences by toying with the life of stars, others argued that such shows aimed at popularizing the sport cannot thrive by copying foreign reality shows, while still others said that "watching stars diving with an entertainment mentality is completely irrelevant to competitive diving."

Diving reality shows are also causing controversy in the UK, the US, and Australia. David Boudia, an American diving gold medalist at the London Olympic Games, who serves as a coach on a US diving reality show, said on Twitter that the participation of stars will push more young people in the US to participate in the sport.

As long as these reality shows do not overhype their star participation and entertainment gossip, and allow the audience to truly appreciate the beauty of the sport, they can help the success of sports, according to an article in Financial Times.