There’s no real need to get complicated with this, no analytical or observational insight necessary. Plenty large and plenty bright, China’s record of nine played, nine won at the 2015 Fiba Asia Championships speaks clearly enough on its own.
Through two group rounds and three knockout matches, the hosts of the continental championship were never truly challenged, not even in the final. A feisty Philippines side will regret some costly mistakes and unfortunate calls, but the final 78-67 scoreline, making the Chinese gold medal winners and Olympics-bound, isn’t entirely unjust.
They had as much size as any team in the tournament, with four players standing 7ft 0in (2.13m) or taller. It wasn’t even just the giants, though, with big, quick guards and forwards that gave them the most traditional-looking squad in a, in some ways, misfit field.
They had shooting touch, some emergent playmaking creativity, and defensive solidity. It’s almost impossible to say how they might do at the Olympics, as it is, because they were so unparalleled by their continental peers. Only one team was within 10 of the Chinese throughout the tournament, South Korea.
On Saturday in the Fiba Asia gold-medal game they simply overwhelmed the Filipinos. Their depth was too much.
Throughout the competition, Guo Ailun flashed a quality all-round game at point guard, sprinkling in enough scoring touch around his natural preference for floor-directing to count as a quiet force for the team. Li Gen thrived in a space-creating role, drilling 54.5 per cent of his three-point attempts. Zhai Xiaochun, Zhou Peng and Ding Yanyuhang were long-armed defensive menaces on the perimeter, 3-and-D specialists who gave China a breadth no other team could claim.
And, of course, there were the giants. Yi Jianlian was China’s steely centre of gravity throughout much of the tournament, well and away leading the team in scoring as he provided reassuring easy buckets down low and stifled the often smaller opposition inside. He was only outshone in the sense that Zhou Qi was revelatory, with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the final to add to his earlier 21-point, eight-board highlight reel in the Korea contest. He was for the most part active down low, flashing decent footwork and a good sense for how to get his lanky 7ft 1in frame up to the basket unimpeded.
Wang Zhelin, Ji Wei Zhao and Liu Wei gave the Chinese depth to flesh out a genuinely complete and quality team.
Now let’s step back just a little bit.
If we’re talking the broader global order, there’s probably no upending in store for Rio 2016. The Chinese bigs are rail-thin, and will undoubtedly find things difficult down low, trying to match the strength of the likes of Greece or Turkey or France, to say nothing of the United States or Spain.
Their creativity in playmaking is emergent – not fully-formed. They can get caught in uncertainty more frequently than they should, they play a bit more conservatively at times than you’d expect to see from, say, Olympics medal-contenders, and they simply aren’t as explosive across the board as NBA-level or other top European players.
But they do a lot of interesting things. They shot a very decent 39.4 per cent from three throughout the tournament, they showed a keen knack for getting to the foul line, where they took easily the most attempts of the tournament and shot 72.2 per cent. They have the requisite length that comes with their enviable size, and perhaps as interesting as anything was that they brought a team to Changsha that featured six important contributors age 22 or younger, including the 19-year-old Qi.
They have another year to grow for the Rio Olympics, and then they have another four years to really fill out a threatening team for Tokyo in 2020.
In any case, whether then or farther in the future, it would figure to be a near statistical certainty that some Chinese team will arrive at an eventual Olympics and rearrange international basketball’s power structure.
Ten years ago China put in a more ruthless showing in this same tournament. Yao Ming was the MVP. It’d be not unreasonable to ask how this is any different.
But the differences are indeed significant. Iran have grown into a genuinely good team in the last decade, and were winners of three of the last four of these tournaments. The Philippines didn’t even qualify for that tournament, and had a real, NBA-level big man in Andray Blatche leading a talented squad in Saturday’s final. They never appeared to really have a chance. South Korea and Japan brought competitive teams.
The standard of basketball in Asia isn’t going to flood the NBA anytime soon, but it’s slowly on the rise – and in China’s case, the eye exam would say more quickly on the rise.
If anything about this dominant Fiba Asia Championships run can be gleaned, it’s that China are coming in basketball. It’s really only a matter of time until they arrive.
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Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The%20Hunger%20Games%3A%20The%20Ballad%20of%20Songbirds%20%26%20Snakes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Francis%20Lawrence%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3ERachel%20Zegler%2C%20Peter%20Dinklage%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Tom%20Blyth%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
