Do you know Qatar (卡塔尔) will hold 2022 World Cup? And FIFA (国际足联) has made a big decision that the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be held in November and December. It is the first time FIFA has moved the event from its traditional summer to winter because summer temperature in Qatar is very high, maybe up to 50℃。

According to the decision, the 2022 World Cup will start on November 21 and end on December 18 one week before Christmas. FIFA said “This is an important step for us. December 18, 2022 is a Sunday, and it’s National Day in Qatarso it’s a perfect time.”

On April 1 in Doha, Qatar, the mascot of this World Cup, Laeeb came out. Laeeb is an Arabic word which means a “super-skilled player” that “encourages everyone to believe in themselves as ‘Now is All’”. And the host hopes it can bring the joy of football to everyone.

▲ . On March 30, Chinese men’s football team lost the game against Oman, a small Asian country which is not very strong in football, and had to go back home with the bad grades —1 win, 3 draws and 6 losses in 10 games.

It’s hard for millions of Chinese football fans to accept this. “Chinese football team has been out of the final 32 of the World Cup for 20 years. How long should we keep waiting?” the fans said. “We’ll never watch their games any more!”

Chinese men’s football does have many problems. But just as the saying goes “Rome was not built in a day”, good football starts from a young age. Football will only improve in China if things start at the bottom. So never give up. Learn a lesson from today’s loss and keep on fighting to win the fans back. Bringing the joy of football to everyone will be a dream come true someday in the future.

The Hangzhou Asian Games (亚运会) ended in October, 2023. It was wonderful. This was the third time that China had hosted the Asian Games. Looking back, we have many excellent memories of the three Asian Games in China.

In 1990, China hosted its first Asian Games in Beijing. The Beijing Asian Games were the first international comprehensive sporting event in China’s history. Chinese people did a lot in preparation for the Asian Games. New stadiums, roads, and hotels were built. What made many Chinese people proud during the Asian Games was that for the first time in history, China ranked first in the number of medals (奖牌).

Fast forward to 2010, and Guangzhou became the second Chinese city to host the Asian Games. There were many new buildings such as the famous Canton Tower. More than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions in Asia took part in 42 events. The Guangzhou Asian Games were a huge success.

In the Guangzhou Asian Games, there were 40 sports events, including some new ones such as the e-sports competitions. Like the improvements seen in Beijing and Guangzhou, Guangzhou also built many new stadiums. And during the Asian Games, advanced technologies such as 5G, the digital torchbearer (数字火炬手), and surprised lots of people.

From 1990 to 2023, the three Asian Games tell a story of our country’s growth. They also show Chinese people’s hard work. How great!

Special Game

①The FIFA World Cup was held in Qatar last Sunday, Nov. 20. It’s the world’s biggest international soccer tournament (锦标赛) and also the most-watched sporting event in the world. There are 32 teams competing to win. This year’s tournament looks so special. What makes it different from the ones before?

②First, it’s the first time the tournament has been held in the Middle East after Qatar beat other host competitors— the US, South Korea, Japan and Australia back in 2010. It’s also the first time in history the tournament is taking place during the Northern Hemisphere (北半球) winter months, from Nov 20 to Dec 18. That’s because Qatar is a desert country, and in summer the temperature can be as high as 42℃. That’s too hot for outdoor sports. But it will still be pretty warm in winter. The temperature in the stadium (体育场) is expected to be around 20℃ to 30℃. Air conditioning (空调) will help to keep it cooler.

③Qatar is also the smallest nation by area to host the cup. They’ll be playing the first match of the tournament, facing Ecuador (厄瓜多尔). It’s Qatar’s first-ever FIFA World Cup game. This makes them the second country to host their debut (首秀) game after Italy in 1934!

④There may be new challenges for many players too. Aside from (除……之外) the hot weather, for European teams like England, France, Germany and Spain, it’s only just over a year since their last big international tournament, the UEFA Champions League (欧联杯).

⑤According to FIFA’s rankings (排名), the fans’ favourite winner of the tournament this year are Brazil, followed by Argentina and France. Who will be the winner? Let’s wait for the exciting events!