China asks Russia to meddle against US
Nicole Jeffery
June 22, 2005
AUSTRALIA's over-achieving team could be caught up in a superpower showdown reminiscent of the Cold War period at the Beijing Games in 2008.
The Russian Olympic Committee has signed a pact with China to combine their expertise to knock the United States off its pedestal as the world's dominant sporting nation.
The US led the medal standings at last year's Athens Games (35 gold, 39 silver and 29 bronze), from China (32, 17, 14) and Russia (27, 27, 37), with Australia fourth (17, 16, 16).
But China is determined to be top dog at home and has a stated goal of winning 110 medals, including 40 gold, in Beijing.
To do that, it has enlisted Russia's help in an alliance under which the two countries will exchange coaches, training methods and use of facilities.
"The Chinese have never been so open before," ROC president Leonid Tyagachev told the Izvestia newspaper.
"They even promised to share the Chinese medicine they use to improve results.
"They hope that we will take some of the medals in sports that are traditionally considered American; ie swimming and track and field. They speak openly about it. We cannot give in to the US."
In a unique twist, the agreement also includes a Chinese promise to educate their fans to support Russian competitors before American ones, in events where a Chinese athlete is not in contention.
"They guaranteed that, for example, if a Chinese diver fails, the entire audience will support a Russian, not an American," Tyagachev said.
There is potential for Russia and China to develop a highly productive symbiotic relationship.
After the Soviet collapse, Russia has more expertise than money. The Chinese, latecomers to the international sporting field, have more financial muscle than knowledge.
The danger for Australia is that the three superpowers could suck in medals from smaller countries as they slug it out in Beijing.
But the Australian Olympic Committee believes its team can hold its own even if the Beijing Games becomes a battle between giants.
The AOC has its own co-operative agreement with the Chinese that will give each country access to the other's systems and facilities in the lead-up to 2008.
"Our agreement with China gives us a couple of advantages we can use in our favour," AOC executive director Craig Phillips said.
"We offer something to the Chinese that not too many other countries can offer, and that is what we know as a recent host nation. That's a link that the Russians can't offer.
"And we are almost in the same time zone as China, so the likelihood that they will come down here to prepare their teams is high. We saw them use the youth festival that way in January.
"We also shouldn't underestimate the systems we have in this country."
Phillips believes the Australian team is better placed to succeed in Beijing than it was before Athens (where it won a record 17 gold medals), largely because of the federal Government's decision to re-introduce direct athlete support funding this year.
"I just hope the Russians and the Chinese look at the medals the Americans can win, and not ours," he said.
Phillips said Australia used the strategy of targeting its direct rivals, Italy and France, to break into the top five nations in Sydney in 2000.
"If you take a medal from them, it's worth two on the medal tally," he said."
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