WEEKEND EVENT IN HAYWARD IS EXPECTED TO ATTRACT ATHLETES FROM THROUGHOUT THE BAY AREA
More than 10,000 Bay Area athletes have signed up to participate in table tennis, basketball and track and field events this weekend -- a huge Olympic-style sports bonanza hosted by the Northern California Chinese Athletic Federation.
This event should not be confused with a very similar event held last month at San Jose City College hosted by the Taiwanese & Chinese American Athletic Tournament.
The two groups -- which were one for 18 years -- split three years ago over a political rift 6,000 miles away.
Leaders of the new group, who are holding their event at Chabot College in Hayward on Saturday and Sunday, support a unified China. Leaders of the older group support a sovereign Taiwan.
While organizers on both sides say their geopolitical differences don't filter down to the games, there are definitely undercurrents of the international divide, even if everyone tries to downplay the rift.
At the games in San Jose last month hosted by pro-Taiwan leaders, some one-China-minded folks said they felt excluded because of some subtle and not-so-subtle feelings they saw expressed, including which flag flew at the event. At the games this weekend, organizers are consciously not flying the communist flag of the People's Republic of China, and instead will only raise the U.S. flag, to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Still, in casual conversations, the one-China organizers refer to everyone as ``Chinese,'' making no concession to those who like to be called Taiwanese.
``I feel really isolated,'' Yan Zhao, a 30-something Saratoga resident who was born in mainland China, said of the pro-Taiwan group -- a group that she used to belong to. ``You feel that you're not welcome. It's definitely a shame, though, that the two groups can't get together and hold separate events.''
Zhao, who supports a unified China, will participate in the Hayward games; she's an avid table tennis and basketball player, and also runs.
Taiwan, an island 100 miles off mainland China, has remained a separate entity since mainland China fell under communist rule in 1949. Since then, China has insisted that Taiwan renounce its independence, which has led to a long and volatile standoff.
Taiwan, a democracy, holds its own elections and has its own president. But its government is not officially recognized by the United States, which only recognizes ``one China.''
In the Bay Area, the two athletic tournaments split along these differences. The older, pro-Taiwan group formed in 1984 and originally called itself the Chinese American Athletic Tournament; members added the word ``Taiwanese'' to its title last year. The unified China group was born three years ago, in part over an internal rift among board members with the Taiwanese group, but mostly as a reaction to the rise of the new pro-sovereign government in Taiwan. .
``We actually feel sorry that it's been divided in two,'' said Amelia Ho of Los Gatos, a member of the pro-Taiwan group. ``But we're not angry. Maybe one day we could have two events that complement each other; one in the winter and one in the summer.''
According to U.S. Census figures, there are an estimated 460,000 residents of Chinese descent living in the Bay Area. Jay Ni, 50, of Fremont said that ``60 or 70 percent'' of the Bay Area athletes feel like him: They are more interested in playing sports than debating politics.
Born in Taiwan, Ni and his son are participating in the one-China games in Hayward this weekend, but they also took part in the pro-Taiwan games in San Jose last month.
``The kids don't care,'' he said. ``They're Chinese American. They were born here. They just care about the enjoyment and the excitement of the sports.''
Organizers of the Hayward games are hoping that their festivities -- which also include two days of free dance and cultural performances -- will focus on the positives of the Chinese community living in the Bay Area, whether the people come from China, Taiwan, the United States, or other parts of Asia.
``We want to show everyone that we're a large community,'' said Sharon Yu of Mountain View, a volunteer with the Hayward group. ``And that sports is something everyone can enjoy.''
CHINESE GAMES
The Northern California Chinese Athletic Federation is hosting its third-annual Olympic-style games this weekend at Chabot College, 25555 Hesperian Blvd., in Hayward. Admission is free.
On Saturday: Competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. and an outdoor concert from 7 to 10 p.m.
On Sunday: Competition from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Both days: Food booths will be open and cultural performances will be presented throughout the day.
Sporting events include track and field, basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, table tennis, badminton, swimming, skating and Chinese martial arts.
More information is available on the group's Chinese-language Web site, www.nccaf.org, or by calling the group's office at (510) 796-9988.
Source: Northern California Chinese Athletic Federation |
