Bigger, better games

The 19th Asian Games, 【小题1】 (host) in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, attracted worldwide attention. Despite 【小题2】 (delay) for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said the sporting extravaganza returned in style, with the opening ceremony 【小题3】 (attract) a total of 503 million views.

Although based originally on the format for the Olympic Games, the Asian Games boast 【小题4】 (region) sports with distinct Asian characteristics, including dragon boat racing, kabaddi (a team contact sport), sepak takraw (kick volleyball) and kurash (a folk wrestling discipline). Singh, the acting OCA president, said 【小题5】 is important for the Games to attract young people with the addition of new, action-packed events 【小题6】 appeal to this audience, such as breaking (break dancing) and e-sports, which 【小题7】 (include) in the Hangzhou Games. “For young people, the Asian Games showcase the Olympic values of teamwork devotion respect and friendship. They let people unite to feel the value and thrill of 【小题8】 (compete) and cooperation.”

Zhou Jinqiang, a vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, said: “The sports at the Asian Games have strong Olympic elements, and are 【小题9】 great opportunity for Asian countries and regions to display their cultures and traditions. The variety of sports at the Games is the best testimony to the inclusiveness 【小题10】 diversity of Asian sports culture.”

All eyes are on Qatar as the 2022 FIFA World Cup began on Nov 20. The competition, the first to take place in the Middle East, is 【小题1】 opportunity for the small country to show 【小题2】(it) on one of the world’s biggest stages. But just 【小题3】will the World Cup impact (影响) Qatar? And will it lead to any long-term change in the country?

As the smallest country to ever host the event, the whole country has been trying its best to make it happen. A total of $220billion (about 1.55 trillion yuan) has been spent 【小题4】(prepare) the stadiums, building miles of new highways, a subway system, a whole new airport, and high rises for the World Cup, according to The New York Times. “We’re using this tournament(比赛)【小题5】 a [tool] for change,“ Hassan Al Thawadi, the secretary general of Qatar’s World Cup organization, said in an interview.

Whether the tournament will bring economic benefits to the country, however, is still 【小题6】(know). Although the tourism industry(旅游业)will experience a boost during the event, it is to be seen【小题7】 this will have a 【小题8】(last) impact on Qatar’s economy. The oil-filled country’s main driver of economic 【小题9】 (grow) has been its energy exports. Hosting the World Cup likely only 【小题10】 (bring)investment into areas which are not that important to the economy as a whole.

Cyclist Agustin Navarro was coming fourth in a race in Spain. But as he approached the finish line, he saw that his competitor Ismael Esteban had suffered a flat line and was running toward the finish line 【小题1】 his bike over his shoulders. Agustin Navarro slowed down and refused 【小题2】 (pass) him. Instead, he rode behind Ismael Esteban, 【小题3】 (allow) him to win the bronze medal.

The people standing along the way applauded for Agustin Navarro’s 【小题4】 (behave) and cheered the two men as they made it toward the finish line — 【小题5】, on foot; the other, on his bike. Mr. Esteban later tried to give 【小题6】 prize to Agustin Navarro, 【小题7】 he refused it.

Agustin Navarro【小题8】(praise) online for his unusual act since then. In a television interview, he told people that he didn’t want to win like that, so he braked out of respect for somebody who had been 【小题9】 (good) than himself. That’s 【小题10】 the spirit in a sport lies: respect competitors, teammates, coaches and even themselves.