Tonight marks the grand opening of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The Asian Games go beyond the Games itself. It is the epitome of one's unremitting self-transcendence in physical strength and perseverance, which is showcased every four years. It is fair to say that one feels the allure of the Asiad in places closely related to us, as well as in the Games itself.
The video above sets itself apart from many other Asiad-themed videos. While it does not feature professional athletes, it captures and celebrates the Asian Games spirit.
We pay tribute to the Asiad spirit.
In places beyond our vision, the athletes have embraced challenges day after day. Tennis balls scatter in courts, athletes push themselves to the limit, shuttlecocks repeatedly take flight and footballs gather dust. Injuries, perspiration, loud gasps and endless repetitions all mark their relentless efforts.
The Asiad spirit symbolises a battle of determination between the competitors and their inner selves. Training can be rendered as tedious because there are no spectators to cheer for them; however, they regain strength from repeated defeat. Such a spirit is what we need to overcome obstacles in our daily lives as well.
Will you be able to hit the basket that you missed in a retry?
Will you be able to break the speed record that you previously couldn't reach?
Will you be able to make the shot with greater precision next time?
The answer to all the questions above is“I don't know", but the ultimate goal is“I must". This is the essence of the Asiad spirit. It is also a sporting philosophy that we aim to instil in our pupils at Wellington College Hangzhou.
Moving into its sixth year at Wellington College Hangzhou, we have seen a sporting programme that has exceeded our expectations as it continues to grow into a dynamic and innovative programme.
During the month of March, our teams had the opportunity to compete outside of the province. The first sporting tour saw U13 teams in basketball, football, swimming, and netball compete at the Changzhou Sports Festival. Our teams shone throughout, winning the overall trophy.
April saw the first set of Wellington College Hangzhou versus Wellington CollegeShanghai competitive fixtures. The pupils truly showed their immense talent anddedication to the sporting programme. The girlsbeat Wellington College Shanghai U14 girls football team 5-0. The boys beatWellington College Shanghai U14 football team 6-2 and beat the GermanInternational School U14 football team 5-3. The boys beat both WellingtonShanghai A U14 basketball team and Wellington Shanghai B U14 basketball team.
In May, the third Wellington Cup Synchronised Swimming Competition was held in ourcampus. Our pupils performed marvellously and won the championship among allsix teams from around the country.
In May and June, Wellington College Hangzhou was invited to compete at the first U11 FOBISIA games in five years. 34 pupils participated in the highly competitive event in the sports of football, swimming, T ball and athletics. Our team placed 2nd in athletics, with many of our pupils placing 1st in track events. Within the football competitions, our boys placed 3rd and our girls placed 1st.
From 23 to 25 June, Wellington College Hangzhou Synchronised Swimming squad visited Macao, China, to participate in MGM Artistic Swimming Elite Extravaganza & MACAO Artistic Swimming Competition. Our wonderful team won third place in the competition with their skills and artistic presentation.
Sporting teams have continued their successes from previous year within the district of Xiaoshan. Our Junior High Swimming Squad was crowned the 1st overall champions in the Xiaoshan District Competition with an amazing record of 10 gold medals, 2 silver medals, 1 bronze medal and 2 district records. The U14 girl's football team placed 4th in the district cup, and the U12 touch rugby team finished 3rd in the Hangzhou touch rugby cup.
We continue to benchmark our outstanding sporting programme against the best in the world, and now we have become the dominant sporting school amongst internationalised bilingual schools in Hangzhou.
Our enthusiasm for sports has reached an unprecedented high in this sport-themed September. We have invited Mr Austin Sweeney, Director of Sport at Wellington College Hangzhou, as a guest to participate in our livestream session called ‘Wellington Talk’ next week. He will discuss topics related to physical education with us.
In this livestream session, Mr Sweeney will share his expertise and extensive experience in physical education. As the Director of Sport at Wellington College Hangzhou, he has been committed to cultivating pupils’ interest, skill and teamwork spirit in sports. He will also explore the unique aspects of physical education in international schools, as well as the investment and development of sports programmes and facilities in our schools.
How we realise a balance between academic learning and sports activities for pupils will also be discussed in depth. Fully recognising the academic challenges and pressures faced by our pupils, we are committed to finding that optimal balance. Mr Sweeney will share his experience and strategies in striking that balance, and share his advice to help pupils achieve excellence in both areas – a true‘win-win’situation.
We will also have a retrospective on the incredible sports achievements of our pupils over the past few years. Our pupils have proudly achieved impressive results in various sports events. These are an undeniable reward for the sustained focus and input in physical education at Wellington College Hangzhou, as well as the diligent training and relentless pursuit of our pupils. The livestream session will be a superb opportunity to learn about the features of our sports programme whether your child is a pupil at Wellington College Hangzhou or not. We cordially invite you to book the session and watch ‘Wellington Talk’ on 1:00 PM, Thursday, 28 September.
How fortunate we are to witness this grand celebration of the Asiad spirit. In this golden month of September, let us jointly experience the unique allure of sports, unleash our potential, and forge a brighter future!
