logo
Exclusive one-hour swimming lesson with London Olympics star, including meet-and-greet, to cost $14,000

Exclusive one-hour swimming lesson with London Olympics star, including meet-and-greet, to cost $14,000

Mint26-06-2025
A one-hour swimming lesson with famous Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui was sold at an online auction for $14,000. The money will go to a local charity. The auction, held on June 18, became very popular on Chinese social media.
A tech company from Hangzhou won the bid after 19 roundswith all money going to charity. The class will allow up to seven children, aged 6 to 12, who already know basic swimming.
The package includes a swimming class with Fu, a meet-and-greet, group photos and autographed souvenirs, according to the South China Morning Post.
Fu, 29, became well known in 2016 after a lively and honest interview at the London Olympics. She remains one of China's most loved sports stars, especially for her cheerful personality.
After finishing the 100m backstroke semi-final, Chinese swimmer Fu was surprised to hear her score. It was her best ever.
'Did I swim that fast? I'm quite satisfied,' she said. When asked if she would try to swim faster in the final, Fu replied, 'No. I'm happy with this score.'
She became famous for saying, 'I used all my prehistoric powers to swim.' Fu won the bronze medal in the final at the London Olympics and still holds the Chinese record in the event.
Her honest and funny reaction went viral, with many memes created. People across China loved her natural and cheerful attitude.
The retired Chinese swimming star will teach a special class for children on July 2 in Hangzhou. Though she left competitive sports, Fu recently earned her master's degree from Beijing Sport University and now works as a sports instructor at Zhejiang University.
The company hopes it will inspire kids to enjoy sports and follow their dreams. The donation will support the Zhejiang Provincial Love Fund.
Brooklyn Nets star D'Angelo Russell recently visited China to promote his new shoe, the DLO 1, and fans turned up in huge numbers. During his Beijing stop on May 20, basketball lovers paid around $320 for a meet-and-greet experience at a busy mall.
Fans got selfies, autographs and even a chance to ask Russell questions during a live podcast. While many were excited, some online users felt the price was too high, calling it 'daylight robbery'.
Still, the massive turnout proved how popular Russell is in China. Even he seemed surprised by how warmly fans welcomed him during the tour.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation And National Cricket League Team Up To Grow Grassroots Cricket And Develop Future Stars
Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation And National Cricket League Team Up To Grow Grassroots Cricket And Develop Future Stars

NDTV

time2 minutes ago

  • NDTV

Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation And National Cricket League Team Up To Grow Grassroots Cricket And Develop Future Stars

With cricket set to make its return to the Olympics at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the National Cricket League (NCL) and the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) have joined to expand grassroots cricket programs, create elite player pathways, and connect two of the sport's fastest-growing markets. The partnership reflects ICC Chairman Jay Shah's focus on building cricket in associate nations by engaging passionate diaspora communities and attracting new fans. Both the United States and Saudi Arabia share similar cricket growth trajectories, and this collaboration will develop sustainable programs that take players from local pitches to international competition. Under the agreement, the two organisations will work together in four key areas: • Grassroots Development – Creating school, academy, and community cricket programs; hosting tournaments and clinics; and building pathways for young talent to progress to the highest levels of the game. • Knowledge & Expertise Sharing – Exchanging best practices in infrastructure, coaching, league operations, and player development. • Technical Collaboration – Establishing coaching certification pathways, setting umpiring standards, and implementing digital training tools. • Events & Exposure – Offering Saudi grassroots players opportunities to participate in NCL development events, including the Collegiate Cricket League — a leading university-level competition — and the upcoming Path to Cricket Pro talent hunt, designed to scout and prepare the next wave of professional cricketers. The partnership will also create opportunities for young, emerging Saudi cricketers by providing them a platform to participate in NCL tournaments across the USA and Canada, while building the future of cricket together between both nations. 'This is a bridge connecting two nations with a shared passion for cricket and a vision for its future,' said Arun Agarwal, Chairman of the National Cricket League. 'By aligning our grassroots systems and opening cross-border pathways, we're creating real opportunities for young players to move from local pitches to the world stage. Saudi Arabia is experiencing a surge in cricket participation, and this cooperation with the National Cricket League allows us to turn that momentum into structured grassroot development programs and international opportunities,' said Tariq Sagga, CEO of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation.

Asian shooting: Anant Jeet Singh Naruka wins gold in skeet
Asian shooting: Anant Jeet Singh Naruka wins gold in skeet

Hindustan Times

time2 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Asian shooting: Anant Jeet Singh Naruka wins gold in skeet

New Delhi: Paris Olympian Anant Jeet Singh Naruka won a close contest against Mansour Al Rashidi 57-56 to win gold in the men's skeet final at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. anant Jeet Singh Naruka won gold in the men's skeet final at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. (NRAI) Naruka had won a silver in the last edition and kept his composure under pressure to beat the seasoned former Asian Games champion. Naruka, who finished fourth in the mixed skeet event at the Paris Olympics narrowly missing out on an Olympic medal, has been consistent in his performance at the top level. Last year he won a silver medal in the World Cup Final in Delhi. At the ongoing Asian meet, Naruka finished third in qualifying with a score of 119. In the 60-shot final Naruka was in top form and fired 29 of his first 30 targets. He took the lead, shooting 35 of 36 targets and was one hit ahead of his rival with 10 shots to go. Both shooters missed one in the tense final round, handing Naruka the prized medal. The women's skeet trio of Maheshwari Chauhan, Ganemat Sekhon and Raiza Dhillon combined for a bronze in the team event. In the air pistol mixed team event, Suruchi Phogat and Saurabh Chaudhary won a bronze. They shot 578 in the qualification with Suruchi scoring 292 and Saurabh 286. In the bronze medal match , the Indian duo beat the Chinese Taipei pair of Liu Heng-Yu and Hsieh Hsiang-Chen 17-9. India added two gold medals in 10m air pistol mixed team junior and youth events. Vanshika Chaudhary and Jonathan Gavin Antony won the 10m air pistol mixed team junior event defeating the Korean pair of Kim Yejin and Kim Dooyeon 16-14. For Jonathan, it was his third medal of the championship, having also won an individual bronze and team silver. Ganesh Gupta and Gamberya Gowda then beat Iran 16-14 in the gold medal match. India had topped the qualification with a score of 575. India thus ended the day on top of the medal tally with a total of 19 medals -- nine gold, five silver and bronze medals each.

Why France is the real unpretentious home of Badminton
Why France is the real unpretentious home of Badminton

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

Why France is the real unpretentious home of Badminton

It isn't really surprising that French badminton was the first to be alerted to a crisis of duck feather shortage in Chinese poultry farms that spiked up the prices of badminton shuttles. Badminton's first citizens in France – those who literally were handed basic light racquets and rudimentary shuttles and urged to play the sport and took it up enthusiastically a few decades ago, in barns and rural schools – were students who formally studied farming. When the Badminton World Championships return to Paris after 2010, those creating the din and atmosphere at the fancy Adidas Arena, are expected to be these original folk who travel from far-flung rural corners of France, but who have played the sport for years, with rustic fervour and a bohemian passion. 'I visited 8 Ministries of the government starting with Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Education, Employment, Diversity, besides Sport, to get a quarter of our 10 million Euro funding few years back, to spread badminton across France,' the French Federation of Badminton president Yohan Penel had explained before the Paris Olympics. 'The most enthusiastic communities taking up badminton were those training to be farmers,' he explained the humble grassroots that make up the sport, in stark contrast to the urbane, affluent tennis crowd. 'We're not as rich as other disciplines like football or tennis. Ours might be the 20th federation in priorities! But it has been one of the most ambitious programs for social utility, and I can confidently say, almost every average French person under the age of 50 would have played badminton at local schools. There's emotional connect, not elitist private club numbers.' Migrants to France from all over – Asia and smaller east European countries like Popovs from Bulgaria and Africa, have been welcomed in this unpretentious sport, that's played with fewest barriers. Anyone who played at Paris or has turned up at the French Open, will vouch for the show that shouting, chuckling, chatty fans put up, quite unlike the sanitised etiquettes of Roland Garros in a more famous sport. 'French badminton fans love to make noise. Plus a lot of Asians come to watch, so it's a carnival atmosphere, though we have a soft spot for Indian players, especially Satwik and Chirag. They smile a lot, play freely and don't look like it's only for the money, and they are funny. There's something about them that connects with the French crowds,' Penel had said, of the winners at the last French Open in 2024, though the Olympics had ended in heartbreak, a 'triste' – melancholy for the Indians. But on either side of Covid, winning in 2019 and 2024 in France, Satwik-Chirag offered grand memories to the French audience. Covid, though, was when the sport made massive inroads in the country. 'The thing with French badminton was, it was always about local clubs and something to do for the whole community. A lot of badminton would be played in sports halls, orchards, vineyards in rural areas but when these closed during Covid, politicians became aware of how much the sport meant to people and local associations became stronger. When people worried about energy supplies in winters, it was also about keeping these badminton centres going. The sport meant a connect,' Penel had explained. While France has representation in every category in singles and doubles this year and Alex Lanier has won a Super 750 since the Olympics, to be counted amongst elite like Thom Giquel and Delphine Delrue in mixed doubles, plus the Popov brothers Toma Jr and Christo, the sport retains its wider, humbled, egalitarian base in France. 'Ofcourse we want French players to get medals. But we are not just about creating champions. It's a bit like France's politics, we don't worship personalities. And it's different from football where it's all about Messi, Neymar, who are great players. Badminton's not the same, and we aren't like the Danish either. We might not all be fans of the World No 1s, but still enjoy watching the sport. Here the crowd can get behind anyone from No 1 to 50 and become crazy fans of them, depending on the connect,' he had said. The top French players too came up from the hyper localised club system. 'Delphine started 15 years back from a local club, so did Thom – inter-club, local area meets, small towns.' It didn't stop the French from developing one of the most sophisticated training centres in Europe. While Fernando Rivas, coach of Carolina Marin served a stint there, Penel didn't dither on bringing in all sorts of professionals. 'I'm a mathematician,' he laughed about setting the store by exactitude. The sporting director in the last decade came from American Football, and he took up French badminton as a project – data analytics, top range video sports science, tactical, mental professionals, and those monitoring what to drink, eat, and recovery, plus doubles specialists from England. Some of the French contraptions, go a step further than oxygen chambers and gravity-channelling machines, to hasten recoveries from fractures and ligament tears. It's cutting edge tech in injury rehab. It's quite the candy store for sports scientists. The French also run one of the most advanced programs in para badminton, devising ways to bridge the gap with the able-bodied, and para shuttlers can train alongside. The sport's popularity as an inclusive sport has seen it develop innovations for all strata. Because it's low key, the entry barriers are nothing like expensive tennis. 'Even when we took it to agricultural schools and colleges, we were clear we don't want badminton to be elitist. People of different abilities, levels can play together and racquets and plastic shuttles were not that expensive. So even if the top goal was a high performance centre like Denmark, broadbasing was more important.' Nearing the end of his term, there was another important matter to ensure. 'It's funny but nobody calls them 'badminton players' in France. It's 'badiste' (pronounced baa-deest). We are committed to introduce the word and register it as official in all our dictionaries,' he says. That's yet another government department that received a delegation from a sport that wasn't content with just that one showbiz event – Paris week for badminton.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store