Among the many organizations under the umbrella of the IOC, the IAAF is probably the most powerful.

Athletics is the number one sport in the IOC and has the most important voice. Moreover, in the history of the IOC, there have been many presidents who have held the position of IAAF president, such as the current president of the IOC, Edström, who was the previous IAAF president.

In the fifties, there were not as many Olympic events as in later generations, volleyball with three balls, tennis, table tennis and badminton, and judo and taekwondo in combat sports, which were not Olympic sports, which meant that track and field events accounted for far more than later generations, and the IAAF also had a decisive voice in the Olympic Organizing Committee.

In addition to the IAAF, Chen Qiang also found two other sports organizations, namely the International Basketball Federation and the International Swimming Federation. Basketball and swimming are both Olympic sports, and these two organizations also have a certain say in the IOC. Under the temptation of Chen Qiang's payment of membership dues, FIBA and FINA did not hesitate to stand on Chen Qiang's side.

In the room, the top level of the International Olympic Committee is debating whether to recognize the All-China Sports Federation.

"The sports organization representing China is the Sports Association, they have been recognized by the International Olympic Committee more than 20 years ago, and they have become a member of us, and now we have not received any official notice about the withdrawal of the Chinese Sports Association from the International Olympic Committee, according to the IOC's constitution, as long as the Chinese Sports Association has not withdrawn, we cannot recognize the newly established Chinese Sports Association." Speaking was Brundage, the vice president of the IOC and the staunchest anti-China figure in the IOC.

"Mr. Brundage, I need to remind you that the Chinese Sports Association you are talking about has now been dissolved, and according to the IOC's statutes, if the sports organization dissolves itself, it will automatically lose its qualification from the IOC." Burleigh spoke. The IAAF already had a say, and in order to collect dues, Boehly didn't mind going toe-to-toe with Brundage.

"How do you know they're disbanded?" Brundage asked.

"We can send a telegram to ask, but the question is, can you find them?" Burleigh asked rhetorically.

"Can't find it doesn't mean disband, it's just a temporary loss of contact." Brundage spoke.

"May I ask Mr. Brundage, how long is 'temporary'? A year? Two years? Or five years? Decade? Are we going to wait for this illusory 'temporary'? The exclusion of 400 million Chinese from the Olympics is also a loss for the IOC. Burleigh retorted.

"Mr. Burleigh, you have to watch your position! How can you be on the side of the reds! Brundage said exasperatedly.

"My position is always on the side of the IAAF." Burleigh retorted.

While the two were arguing, the president of FIBA also spoke at this time: "I think Mr. Boehly has a very good point, we can't exclude 400 million people from the Olympics, isn't the original intention of the IOC to promote the Olympic spirit on a global scale!" ”

The president of FINA next to him also said: "No matter which organization represents China to become China's Olympic Committee, in the final analysis, it is elected by the Chinese themselves. Now that the sports association in China has lost contact with it, and now there is a new sports association as a replacement, why don't we go with the flow. What's more, China's newly established sports federation is very willing to undertake its due obligations. ”

"Obligations? What obligations? Brundage asked, a little inexplicably.

"Isn't it an obligation for Member States to pay their contributions?" FINA president said with a smile.

Brundage instantly understood why the presidents of IAAF, FIBA and FINA spoke for the newly established sports federations, because people paid for it! Perhaps even IOC President Edstron has embraced the National Sports Associations in his heart because they are willing to pay their dues.

Thinking of this, Brundage said eagerly: "We are an organization that spreads the Olympic spirit, how can we succumb to money?" ”

Boehly smiled disdainfully: "Then please ask Mr. Brundage to go to the Chinese Sports Association and ask them to fulfill their obligations as members and pay the dues owed to the IAAF, or Mr. Brundage is willing to help them pay their dues." ”

At the mention of paying dues, Brundage suddenly relented.

In the fifties, the membership fees of international sports organizations were not much, only a few hundred dollars a year, so that dozens of member countries of an international organization could collect tens of thousands of dollars a year, which was enough for its normal operation.

Chen Qiang also saw this, he knew that by paying membership dues, he could achieve the goal of the trip as soon as possible, which was much easier and faster than spending time to lobby for favors. For Chen Qiang, a few hundred dollars in membership fees is nothing, even if it is a few years of supplementary payment.

Chen Qiang is a rich dog and doesn't care about the hundreds of dollars, but Brundage is different, he is just a mouthful, and it is impossible for him to really pay for the sports association to pay the membership dues.

Membership dues involve the core interests of the International Olympic Committee and various sports organizations, and if Brundage stops Chen Qiang from paying his dues, it is tantamount to offending all sports organizations, so when it comes to membership dues, Brundage can only swallow his anger, and it is impossible for him to offend many sports organizations to help the Chinese Sports Association speak.

……

The newly established National Sports Federation was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and became the Olympic Committee of China.

Next, New China's participation in the Olympic Games is also on the agenda.

The 1952 Olympic Games were held in Helsinki, Finland, which was considered the sphere of influence of the Soviets, and Finland was convenient for New China to formally establish diplomatic relations in 1950, so the political resistance for New China to participate in the Helsinki Olympics was relatively small.

In the Helsinki Olympic Games in history, due to repeated obstruction from all sides, when the National Sports Federation received the invitation letter, there were only a few hours left before the opening of the Olympic Games, China hastily sent a delegation, and when it arrived in Helsinki, many events had already ended, and in the end only swimmer Wu Chuanyu participated in the 100-meter backstroke competition, which was also the first appearance of new Chinese athletes in the Olympic Games.

Now, under Chen Qiang's leadership, the National Sports Federation has been recognized by the IOC earlier, so it has more time to prepare for the Helsinki Olympics.

At that time, Chinese sports were still popular, and participation in large-scale events was not on the agenda of the National Sports Federation. However, the Olympic Games must be participated, and New China needs to appear on the international stage and participate in international affairs, and the Olympic Games are China's first step towards the world. Therefore, with the approval of the higher authorities, the National Sports Federation formed a delegation to Helsinki to participate in the Olympic Games.

This time, the Chinese delegation arrived in Helsinki ahead of schedule and participated in the opening ceremony of the Helsinki Olympic Games, and the five-star red flag also appeared on the Olympic field for the first time.

In the subsequent competitions, the Chinese team participated in five major competitions: track and field, swimming, boxing, basketball, football and cycling, but unfortunately, the Chinese team did not have medals in the account, and even did not have a good ranking.

This result did not surprise Chen Qiang, the competition in sports is hard power, China's backward sports level is an objective fact, and it is normal to not get a good ranking in the Olympic Games. What's more, the 1952 Helsinki Olympics was a relatively high-level Olympic Games.

Europe has recovered from the Second World War, and after a few years of recuperation, a new generation of European athletes is making their mark at the Games. In addition, the Soviet Union's participation in the Olympic Games for the first time also greatly improved the level of competition in the Helsinki Olympic Games. As the only superpower that can compete with the United States, the Soviet Union is no weaker than the United States in sports, and the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Olympic Games has also led to the continuous breaking of world records.

The overall level of the Olympic Games has improved, and countries like China, which are backward in sports, have become cannon fodder on the field, and can only focus on participation and friendship first.

Although the Chinese delegation did not receive any results, after the members of the delegation returned to China, the National Sports Federation held a commendation meeting to encourage the athletes to make persistent efforts and strive for good results in the next Olympic Games.

……

After the commendation meeting, everyone had dinner in the canteen, and the dishes were very simple, all of them were big pot vegetables, but fortunately, there was enough dry food.

Chen Qiang sat next to Director Wang, and the two whispered.

"This time to participate in the Helsinki Olympics, our Chinese team is nothing, although I also know that our athletes have tried their best, and there are no good results because their skills are not as good as others, and in my heart, there is still some bad taste." Director Wang said rather melancholy.

Chen Qiang opened his mouth to comfort: "In terms of sports, our China is indeed relatively backward, and the gap between us and those sports powers will not be able to catch up for a while and a half, and it may take several generations of efforts. ”

"I understand what you said, but when I saw athletes from other countries standing on the podium, raising the national flag, and playing the national anthem, I was still quite jealous, and I was thinking at the time, when will our China produce another world champion." Director Wang let out a long sigh.

"The world championship is not easy to say, but it is not difficult to say." Chen Qiang said with a smile.

"If you have an idea, don't hide it, come and hear it." Director Wang spoke.

"There are many types of sports, and the popularization of sports is a long process that really requires the efforts of several generations. However, if you want to achieve some results in a short period of time, you can specifically pick out two or three sports, increase investment, and focus on training athletes, so that it can be effective in a short time. Chen Qiang said.

"This is to concentrate superior forces to engage in a tough battle?" Director Wang asked.

"Yes, that's what it means. The country's foundation is thin, and if a large amount of investment is made in every sport, we can't afford it, so it's better to concentrate superior forces and fight a tough battle! The more we invest, the higher the returns, and maybe the world champions. Chen Qiang replied.

"So which sport are we going to pick to fight this tough battle?" Director Wang then asked.

'Personally, I think we can focus on developing a big ball and a small ball. Chen Qiang replied.

"Big balls and small balls? Let's take a closer look. ”

"This big ball refers to football. Football is the number one sport in the world, and it is very popular in all countries around the world, and the influence of football is incomparable to other sports. If we want to expand the international influence of Chinese sports, developing football is a good choice. As long as we play football well, our football teams can communicate with other countries, so that China's sports can also have more active space on the international stage. Chen Qiang said.

"What you say makes sense, the influence of football is indeed very great, I know that when we participated in the Olympic Games in China, the football team could raise its own funds by playing exhibition matches, and after the Olympics, many countries invited the Chinese football team to exchange. A football team will spread China's influence to the world. Director Wang said.

Chen Qiang continued: "I think we can first set a goal for our Chinese football, which is to reach the finals of the World Cup. The football World Cup is also the only sports event that can compete with the Olympic Games, but the football World Cup is much higher than the threshold of the Olympic Games. It is no exaggeration to say that it is more difficult to get a ticket to the World Cup finals than to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games, and if we can reach the World Cup finals, it is equivalent to our Chinese football having a place on the world stage. The international impact it can bring is higher than that of an Olympic champion. ”

Director Wang nodded: "Do you think it will take long for us to see results if we start to invest more in football now?" ”

"Five or six years, with Li Huitang's ability, in five to six years, he should be able to train a football team with a good level, although it can't compete with the world's top teams, but it can also impact the 1958 World Cup." Chen Qiang replied.

"That's the equivalent of implementing a five-year plan for the football team!" Director Wang paused, and then asked, "Then what is the little ball you just said?" ”

"Of course the ball is a table tennis ball." Chen Qiang said.

"It turned out to be table tennis, I am familiar with this sport, when I was in Yan'an, the leaders liked to play table tennis very much, and most of our comrades from Yan'an could play table tennis." Director Wang spoke.

Chen Qiang explained: "I think table tennis is a very suitable sport for us Chinese, and if we want to achieve a breakthrough in the world championship in a short period of time, table tennis is the best sport." ”

"Are you saying that if we make a big investment, we can win the world championship in table tennis in a short period of time?" Director Wang grasped the key point of the problem.

"Yes." Chen Qiang nodded without hesitation.

"And how long do you mean short time?" Director Wang asked again.

Chen Qiang thought for a while and replied: "If I am in charge of the Chinese table tennis team, give me one to two years, and we can win the World Table Tennis Championships!" ”

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