Man......these officials must be thinking/scheming such stuff out from their rears in their closets. How will Yao Ming be ready to be the first torch relay runner on May 3?? If everything goes on well with his rehabilitation of his fractured ankle, he would only be doing away with his crutches by mid April. He probably can't apply force to his ankle by then yet, not to mention to run. Besides, Yao Ming said he won't be returning to China for the next 3 to 4 months, as he thought Houston will be a much better and ideal place for his rehabilitation, cos he will have the necessary equipment and personnels readily available for his rehabilitation.
I hope Yao can be the first and last relay runner (ie, the person who lights the fire), but why not do it in a wheelchair? I'm sure the officials aren't that stupid and probably only meant it as Yao being the first person to carry the torch, not to run with it.
Well......he won't agree to carrying the torch on a wheelchair. He hates to be seen in the public so helpless on a wheelchair !!
Pryuen, thanks for the news about Yao. Really miss Yao. By the way, someone says Yao may return earlier. Have you got any source about that?
HA HA HA ......... The source might be from the article that I translated http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=145146 Personally don't think he could make it back in time for the playoff. If what Wang Meng reported is true, he had just started his passive rehabilitation only, i.e. instead of sitting and doing nothing, he just makes sure he did everything possible within his current power and scopes allowed by the doctors (i.e. the strength and conditioning exercises on his upper limbs etc.) before he can really start concentrating on the injured foot/ankle when he can throw away the crutches and walk again on his own. It will be another 4 weeks before he could do away with his crutches to go for rehabilitation on full force. And that will already be middle of April. The regular NBA season will end April 17. And if I'm not mistaken, each playoff team will need to register their playoff roster within a week's time. Each team will need to register 15 players, and have to designate 12 active players and up to three inactive players prior to each game. So unless the Rockets are willing to risk wasting a player's slot to register in Yao Ming, even if he could make it back by then, he will not be eligible to play. But then, he probably will need at least 6 weeks to 2 months for his rehabilitation (to be able to apply force to his ankle, to run, to train, to play contact basketball) after mid April according to the current plan, i.e. he will be healthy by beginning of July to rejoin the Chinese national team in preparation of the Olympics. Yeah.....it is sad, but we have to be realistic. It was really a season-ending injury for Big Yao. He won't be able to return to play in the playoff, even if the Rockets can advance beyond Round 1, and into the semi or final of the conference, or even the Final.
I don't know who else China could possibly have in mind to light the fire at the stadium besides Yao. Not the first, but the last.
As much as I would like to have Big Yao be the one lighting the Olympic flame, I don't think he'll be the final pick. It will be someone of bigger achievement/contribution to sports in China. Big Yao did not even have an Olympic medal.......... There are lots of other greats that will get the nod in front of him. And a very popular one could be the 76-year-old Mr. He Zhenliang, who had devoted practically his whole life to the noble cause of Olympics. Known as China's Mr. Olympics, Mr. He Zhenliang helped shape the course of Chinese sports diplomacy for over 50 years, giving direction to some of its greatest events. He was appointed to the International Olympic Committee in 1981, became a member of the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee in 1985 and finally vice chairman of the International Olympic Committee in 1989. As honorary president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, he has worked tirelessly to promote the Olympic movement and the principles for which it stands. He has particularly worked among young people to instill in them the spirits and ideas of the Olympic dream. He was the one that masterminded the 2 successive bids of Olympics for China, the first bid that failed in 1993 for the 2000 Olympics, and the second bid that got successful in 2001 for the 2008 Olympics.
<BR> That's just like the Chinese government, to make Yao work even HARDER!!!! Just joking. It's a great honor for the big guy.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hAUsPbaNotE&rel=0&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hAUsPbaNotE&rel=0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> The Micheal Jordan of China!
So the chances for Yao Ming to be the one lighting the Olympic flame becomes BIGGER as his biggest foe/challenger for the task, Liu Xiang had been picked to become the first torch bearer today in Beijing at Tiananmen Square to recieve the Olympic flame (which had arrived from Athens) from the hand of President Hu Jintao and started its worldwide relay from now until it comes back to China sometimes in May!! PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS
