The Beijing spectators seemed a little bit more calm than
players were used to at the International Goalball Tournament, said
an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) official in Beijing on
Thursday.
Jim Leask, technical delegate from goalball committee of the
IPC, said he was interested by this phenomenon.
"It is interesting. The Chinese crowds have been good, but
appeared a little bit more calm than we were used to," said the
Canadian on the first day of the "Good Luck Beijing" goalball
tournament, a test event for the Paralympics in Beijing next
year.
"When the Chinese team came on, they were louder," he added.
Leask's question was somewhat given an answer when a retired
university staff talked her feelings about the game.
"I didn't know a single thing about goalball. I had thought it
was like what my husband plays everyday with his friends," she
said.
"So when I got the tickets, I was also given a book of rules
about the game, which told me that the spectators must be very
quiet during the games or the players will be interfered," she said
in a low voice during the interval.
Goalball is a group event for the blind or visually impaired
people at the Paralympic Games. During the game, the spectators are
required to remain absolutely silent so that players can follow the
direction of the ball, which has bells inside.
But players appreciated the respect they get from the
over-careful Chinese spectators.
"The Chinese spectators are good. They know how to appreciate
the game," said American player Christopher Dodds after his team
beat Japan 10-8 in a Group B match.
China, directly qualifying for the Paralympics as host, staged a
major upset for world champions Lithuania, winning 8-4 in a match
of Group A where Canada defeated Denmark 6-5.
United States clinched their second win of the day by breezing
past Finland 12-2 and Sweden dismantled Finland 12-2 in the morning
before beating Japan 9-4 in the afternoon.
Eight men's teams were invited to take part in the four-day
tournament which takes place in Gymnasium of Beijing University of
Technology, also the competition venue for Beijing Olympics
volleyball event.
(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2007)