There being little time for preparation, a 40-member delegation was organized in a hurry, consisting of a basketball team, a football team and a swimmer named Wu Chuanyu who had come near international standard. On the eve of its departure for Helsinki, Premier Zhou Enlai received its leading members at midnight, pointing out that the significance of their trip lay not in the result of competition, but in the opportunity they had won for participation. "It'll be a victory once our five-starred red national flag is hoisted at the Games," he said.
For the first time in the Olympic history, the national flag of the People's Republic of China was hoisted at the Olympic Village on July 19 when the Chinese delegation arrived in Helsinki, when most of the preliminaries had finished. Only Wu was in time for a 100m backstroke heat in which he set a national record. The Chinese players missed the chance to compete and had some friendly matches with the host teams. Many get-togethers were held with athletes from Africa, Oceania and other continents, who expressed friendly feelings and sympathy for the Chinese athletes.
(COC)
Email to Friends
Print
Save