‘Music rehearsals are still interrupted by apologetic athletes who have rushed from the fields’
‘The daily lives of the pupils in China are just as hectic as anything seen in London’
During the Olympiad, student reporter Matthew Verri (Year 12) found time to observe some of cultural differences as well as to reflect on sport in China ‘Green men at traffic lights are more of a recommendation’, we were warned as we arrived at Dulwich College Shanghai
Below : The Dulwich College Olympians, led by Thomas Boutelle (Year 12).
1988 in Seoul, China won five gold medals and took 244 athletes to the Olympics. Fast forward 24 years to London in 2012 and China took 396 athletes and won 38 gold medals, coming second in the overall medal table. The Youth Olympic Games were set up in 2010 and in those two Games, China has won more medals than any other country, demonstrating the huge surge in sporting activity. China has traditionally achieved success at table tennis, badminton, and diving, yet on the back of the 2008 Olympics, the country has seen more success in Swimming and in Athletics than ever before. This was clear for all to see at the Dulwich Olympiad, where Dulwich Beijing and Dulwich Shanghai in particular impressed. Away from the sporting aspect of our trip and China as a whole, the pupils at the China schools are very similar to their London counterparts. Music rehearsals are still interrupted by apologetic athletes who have rushed from the fields, with the daily lives of the pupils in China just as hectic as anything seen in London. The students from the International Schools were so helpful towards us; often a pupil would follow you from a distance, almost willing you to ask where the lunch hall was so that they could take you there. One striking difference was the lack of pat-ball courts, though perhaps after the 2019 Olympiad in London that sporting discipline can crack the Chinese market. The 2015 Beijing Olympiad was a truly spectacular occasion and those boys in Year 9 and below will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to compete in a home Olympiad in four years’ time. It is now apparent we share so much more than the ‘Dulwich College’ name with the International schools and these bonds will only grow in strength in the future. One thing is for sure: the bar has been set very high ahead of 2019.
“ Right, OK. I’m sure I can cross a road easily enough.” Wrong: it is common in China for cars to ignore red lights if there is no oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, pedestrians do not count as traffic. The task is made easier by the barrage of horns that will greet you should you be brave enough to venture a foot onto the road. Once you see that green man, you go. And do not stop. China was not all stress – not in the slightest. In a country still feeling the legacy of the Olympic Games in 2008, sport is quite clearly on the rise. This dramatic increase in sporting participation is no more obvious than in the medal tables from recent Olympics. In
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