Ye Qiaobo, a famous speed skating athlete and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC), recently received an exclusive interview on www.people.com.cn.

Ye Qiaobo said, a successful Olympic Games would not only rely on an effort made by athletes, but also lie in active participation of the media and viewers. "On sports, many people think each year should be better than the last year. If we ranked No. 2 last year, we must get No. 1 this year. But in my opinion, we should have a right attitude towards it. A successful bidder to host the Olympic Games is 50 percent responsible for making it a success. The other 50 percent will depend on its organization and running process, the construction of sports venues, as well as how to share our rich cultural heritage with the world."

Ye Qiaobo admitted that when she was just an athlete, she would only be concerned about how to get good results in sports. After acting as a member of CPPCC, she is seeing each aspect of the Olympic Games with an overall perspective, especially the responsibilities and guide function of the media.

"Most mainstream media do not have a complete understanding of sports, including the analysis of past sports events, the judgment of the future trends, and the overall level of current athletes. Therefore, sports related media should take the initiative in promoting sports events and guiding the mainstream media. It is crucial. However, in order to attract attention, many media outlets are quoting words out of context, or sensationalizing news or even making up stories," she said, "I suggest media should not put so much pressure on athletes. It could affect athletes' performance a lot."

In the eyes of the Ye Qiaobo, the 2008 Olympic Games is not only a grand sports event but also a very precious chance to display China's cultural heritage. "Through hosting this Olympic Games, we should get our audience to become more familiar with the rules of etiquette and create a better competitive environment for the athletes."

"In the past, many viewers used to arrive late, go to the stands, use photoflash to take pictures, or walked back and forth,even call out loudly. This bad behavior can affect an athletes' normal performance." When talking about these, Ye Qiaobo looked a little unhappy, "Using photoflash can really leave the audience an unforgettable precious moment permanently. But when it meets an athlete's eyes, it can lead to the biggest regret in his or her life."

Compared to the basic etiquette in stadiums, the outlet for the audience's emotions concerns Ye Qiaobo the most. "How to present our national pride properly is the biggest problem. Accidents caused by 'sports rogue' should never happen again. Throwing bottles, garbage bags, or whistling at athletes are terrible manners. National pride should only be presented through working hard and creating more wealth for our country," she appealed, "in this aspect, the media should act as good leaders."

(Source: www.people.com.cn. / Translated by womenofchina)