Chinese athletes eye new sports at next Olympics, including American-dominant flag football

BEIJING: The dust has barely settled from the recent Paris Olympics, but Chinese athletes are already setting their sights on and training hard for the next Summer Games.

The 2028 edition will be held in glitzy Los Angeles, home of Hollywood in the state of California.

China will be looking to improve its medal haul from Paris and many in the country are optimistic that new additions to the sports lineup could help with that.

This includes the American-dominated sport of flag football, which will make its Olympic debut on home soil in the City of Angels.

Aside from flag football, squash will also be a new addition to the Games while baseball, lacrosse and cricket will make a return.

Huang Chen, founder of the Gambol flag football school in Beijing, said there are already teams formed in various cities across China.

“Because flag football is similar to other sports, with a few years of training, athletes from other sports can perform very well in this sport. It’s not hard for them to do that,” he said.

One such flag football player vying to be one of the nation’s best is 11-year-old Feng Bailing, who has been training hard for five years.

“I really hope to play at the Olympics because it’s something to be especially proud of. With every touchdown, I feel like I’ve grown a little,” the student told CNA.

Feng's mother believes China can perform well beyond its traditionally strong disciplines that include table tennis and badminton.

“The US thinks it has an edge in flag football – that’s why they applied for its inclusion in the next Olympics. Flag football not only depends on (their) physical abilities, but also on strategy and teamwork,” she said.

The selection for the national team will come from various aspects, according to