Simone Biles was expected to lead the United States women’s gymnastics team to an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Japan. But not long into the competition on July 27, Biles withdrew (退出) from the team event.

Biles told reporters that stress had taken its toll. She was not injured, she said. But “once I came out here, I felt that the mental element is not there. So I just need to let my teammates do it and focus on myself.”

Biles isn’t the first athlete to speak out about the pressure of competitive sports. In May, tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open. She was concerned about her mental health. Swimmer Michael Phelps has long spoken about his struggles. “We’re human beings,” he says. “It is okay not to be okay.”

Athletes are usually taught to focus on winning. They work through pain and injury. But now, sports stars are pushing back against that thinking. They say winning should not take priority (优先) over their health. “It’s okay sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself,” Biles said. “It shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are.”

Jill Emanuele, a director at the Child Mind Institute, says star athletes are setting a positive example. “The message now is that being tough means paying attention to yourself and making sure you’re okay,” she says. In sports, mind and body must work together, or that could lead to injuries. It’s why Biles did not continue in the team event.

Emanuele advises young athletes to “talk to people when you have trouble.” That’s what Biles did. And with the support of her team, she was able to return to competition. She finished the Olympic Games with a bronze medal in the women’s balance-beam final.

Two days after eight e-sports (电子竞技) games were officially announced to be included in the 19th Asian Games, China’ s Edward Gaming (EDG) team earned its first League of Legends Word Championship title with a 3-2 win over South Korea in a tough battle on November 7th immediately drawing cheers from people around the country. The topic “EDG wins” had been viewed more than 2.63 billion times on Sina Weibo, ranking the top trending topic for a long time.

With the popularity of digital technology, new forms of cultural exchanges have been appearing, of which e-sports are the most popular. Unlike texts and videos, e-sports go beyond the barriers of language and are understandable around the world. E-sports mostly appeal to those in their early 20s, as shown by the carnival of college students. That in turn makes them a good bridge of communication between young Chinese people and their counterparts(对应的人) around the world.

More importantly, the e-sports industry is sustainable in spreading Chinese culture, as the large audiences mean huge commercial potential. In 2020 alone, the sales of the domestic e-sports industry reached 278.69 billion yuan, and involved 280,000 companies which in turn created over 10 million jobs. According to a media report, nearly 95 percent of graduates from e-sports majors at the Communication University of China in Nanjing, succeeded in finding a job after graduation this year, with 62 percent of them devoted to the e-sports industry, including video game clubs, game design companies and game competition operation companies.

The inclusion of e-sports in major sporting events has been a much-discussed topic in recent years. With more Chinese gaming clubs and teams emerging(出现), the industry is expected to further prosper and continue spreading Chinese culture to the world.

To celebrate the 17th anniversary of PHASE Worldwide (PW), we are, for the first time, putting together a team to cycle the famous Coast to Coast route.

The route is one of the most well-known long-distance cycle routes in the UK. Starting on the West Coast, the route takes in the stunning views offered in the Lake District, before crossing the Eden Valley and the beautiful Northern Pennines. The route then drops down to the post-industrial landscape of the North East, eventually arriving at the North Sea.

It will be completed over three days of cycling. The challenge will begin on the morning of Sunday 30th April with overnights in Penrith and Allenheads, We aim to arrive at the finish on Tuesday afternoon 2nd May. On Wednesday morning, we will transport all participants and their bikes back to the starting point at Whitehaven.

Advice

While much of the route is on sealed surface road and path, there are some sections that are not, It occasionally includes short sections of busier roads where necessary. A road bike should deal with the short gravel (沙砾) sections (mainly at the Waskerley Way).

Touch

If you have any further questions regarding the logistics of the event, please contact eddavys@me.com.

If you have any further questions regarding donation, please contact jonathan@phaseworldwide.org.

Fees

Event Registration: £250, half price for students.

Please read the Coast to Coast 2023 Booking Conditions before registering for your place below.