30 people receive awards for contribution to growth of Sepaktakraw in China

On June 6, MultiBall Games Administrative Center, the General Sports Administration of China hosted an awards ceremony to pay homage to 30 outstanding people that have contributed hugely to the growth of Sepaktakraw in China. 

Held before the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 ASTAF Asian Sepaktakraw Championship, the awards ceremony is particularly meaningful in that it shows recognition by the Administration and the Sepaktakraw community of these people’s contribution to the growth of the sport in China.

Sepaktakraw became an official sport in the Asian Games at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. Even though it received official recognition, the sport was not very popular in China and for a period, there were not many players playing this sport. However, despite the strangeness of the sport it did not drive early participants away. The referees, coaches and players who received an award at the ceremony, as well as many other unsung heroes, kept working hard to bring awareness of Sepaktakraw to people in China. After 30 years of relentless work, Sepaktakraw has seen huge growth in China. 

China has been able to organize international Sepaktakraw tournaments, which shows that the growth of Sepaktakraw in China is well recognized by the International Sepaktakraw Federation and the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation.

The General Sports Administration of China hosted this awards ceremony not only to show the gratitude of the Chinese Sepaktakraw community to these people, but also as a sign to tell the Chinese Sepaktakraw community that their efforts and hard work will not go unnoticed.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Referees: 

Wang Qiuyuan, Yuan Dongping, Cui Guoqing, Hong Chengjiu, Zhu Ronghui, Wang Hongwu, Xu Jingsheng, Ren Feng, Peng Jiang, Niu Jianyuan

Coaches:

Xia Shouguo, Liu Mingjun, Zhang Zhidong, Mao Junsheng, Wu Yaping, Zhang Yongbin, Zhang Wei, Liu Liying, Ling Yuanmin, Liu Rixiang

Players:

Deng Ning, Huang Ruofeng, Zhao Yong, Dong Gang, Chen chen, Guo Hongguang, Sun Xiaodan, Wang Xiaohua, Zhou Ronghong, Cui Yonghui

Reference: Yutang Sports

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick