Writing competitions

Author of Tomorrow aims to find future adventure writers. Young people under 21 can send entries (参赛作品) between 1,500 and 5,000 words (under 500 words for primary-aged pupils). The prizes are £1,000 for the 16-21 age group, £100 and £150 in book tokens (购书券) for the 12-15 age group, and £100 and £150 in book tokens for the 11 and under age group. The closing date is 29th April.

Tadpole Press is running a worldwide 100-word writing competition open to writers of all ages. Entries of 100 words can be sent in any type. The competition requires a small entry fee and 1st place receives a cash prize, while 2nd and 3rd places get writing coaching and editing packages. The deadline is 30th April.

The Martha Mills Young Writers’ Prize invites young people in the UK aged 11-14 to send under 500 words of “writing that is lively, unusual or otherwise original”. This year’s topic is “The Stranger” and the closing date is 22nd May.

War Through Children’s Eyes is open to children aged 7-17 in the UK and aims to “raise awareness of the impact of wars on the communities caught up in them, and particularly on the most vulnerable members of those communities: their children”: Entries of up to 1,000 words are invited, and full details about the competition are available on its website. The closing date is 10th May.

FOUR UNUSUAL SPORTS

What sports are you into? Football? Tennis? Swimming? If you’re looking for a change, you might like to try one of these.

Octopush

Octopush (or underwater hockey as it’s also known) is a form of hockey that’s played in a swimming pool. Participants, wearing a mask and snorkel—a breath device consisting of a bent tube fitting into a swimmer’s mouth and extending above the surface, try to move a puck (水球) across the bottom of a pool. The sport has become popular in countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. An ability to hold your breath for long periods of time is a definite plus.

Zoobombing

Zoo bombing involves riding a children’s bike down a steep hill. The sport originated in the US city of Portland in Oregon in 2002. Participants carry their bikes on the MAX Light Rail and go to the Washington Park station next to Oregon Zoo (which is why it’s called “zoo bombing”). From there, they take a lift to the surface, and then ride the mini-bikes down the hills in the area.

Office Chair Racing

Office Chair Racing consists of racing down a hill in office chairs that can reach speeds of up to 30kph. Strict rules are in place for competitors: they’re allowed to fit in-line skate wheels and handles to their chairs, but no motors. “We check each chair carefully in advance,” one of the organisers explained. The participants race in pairs wearing protective padding as they launch themselves from a higher end. Prizes are given to the fastest competitors and also for the best-designed chairs.

Horse Boarding

Horse Boarding involves being towed behind a horse at 35mph on an off-road skateboard. Professional stuntman Daniel Fowler Prime invented the sport after he strung a rope between his off-road “mountain board” and a horse. Participants stand on aboard while holding on to a rope, attempting to maintain their balance as the horse gallops ahead. “The horse rider and the horse have to work together because if they don’t, the horse goes flying,” Daniel explained.

So, which sport would you like to try?

Chinese Elements at Qatar World Cup 2022

The quadrennial ( 四年一次的) soccer carnival is kicking off! Even without a home team to cheer for, Chinese fans and enterprises remain enthusiastic about the Qatar (卡塔尔) World Cup.

Chinese elements are spotted all over the place at Qatar World Cup 2022.

★The 80, 000-seat Lusail Stadium, which is scheduled to host the eye-catching final game, was designed and built by China Railway International Group with advanced energy-saving technologies and sustainable materials.

★Doha’s first ever Panda House officially opened to the public on Thursday. Located at Al Khor Park near the Al Bayt Stadium, the Panda House is home to Chinese giant pandas, three-year- old female Si Hai and four-year-old male Jing Jing.

★Chinese referee Ma Ning and two assistant referees, Cao Yi and Shi Xiang, have been appointed to judge at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to a list released by FIFA.

★From national flags to ornaments (装饰) and pillows decorated with images of the World Cup trophy, products made in Yiwu, China’s small commodity center, have enjoyed nearly 70 percent of the market share of World Cup merchandise, according to the Yiwu Sports Goods Association.

★More than 1, 500 buses from China’s leading bus maker Yutong, which is from Henan Province, provide shuttle service to streets of the World Cup. Some 888 are electric, offering shuttle services for the thousands of officials, journalists and fans of different countries.

★Chinese enterprises, led by four official FIFA sponsors-Wanda Group, Hisense Group, smartphone manufacturer Vivo and dairy brand Mengniu-have provided more sponsorship revenue for the host than companies from any other nation, with nearly $1. 4 billion in total investment, according to Global Data, a London-based consulting and analytics company.

All these Chinese elements shining at the Qatar World Cup demonstrate the strength of “Made in China” .