Liu Changchun

Liu Changchun (Chinese: 劉長春; listed in official Olympic records as "Liu, Cheng-Chun";[1] November 25, 1909[2][3] – (1983-02-21)February 21, 1983[3]) was a Chinese sprinter. Liu was the first athlete to represent China in competition at an Olympic Games. He was the sole competitor from the Republic of China at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; four years later he again represented the Republic of China at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Later in life, he was also an athletics coach, a physical education teacher, and a sports administrator.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Liu.
Liu Changchun
BornNovember 25, 1909
Ping Island, Jin County, Fengtian, Qing Empire
DiedMarch 25, 1983(1983-03-25) (aged 73)
Dalian, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
NationalityRepublic of China, Chinese
Occupation(s)Sprinter, athletics coach, teacher, sports administrator
Known forFirst Chinese athlete at the Olympic Games
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese劉長春
Simplified Chinese刘长春

1932 Summer Olympics

Due to the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Kuomintang of the Republic of China decided to abstain from attending the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo announced that two athletes, Liu Changchun and Yu Xi-wei would represent Manchukuo at the 1932 Summer Olympics. In May 1932, Liu announced in the newspaper Ta Kung Pao his refusal to represent Manchukuo and his wish to represent China. As the Kuomintang refused to finance his journey, General Zhang Xueliang provided 8,000 silver dollars which made it possible for him to compete in the games.

On the July 31, 1932, Liu competed in the 100m preliminaries, where he was assigned to group 2 which had 5 athletes. Liu wrote about the race in his diary: "The winner ran faster than me about 4 yards at the end, his time was 10.9 sec. I was the fourth runner-up, the time was about 11 sec. In this competition, I got ahead before 60m, however, other competitors overtook me after 80m. I cannot get a better result due to exhaustion from a month-long journey to U.S., and lack of exercise during the journey." Liu registered for the Men's 100m, 200m, and 400m; where he failed to qualify for the Finals of the Men's 100m and 200m, and he did not compete in the Men's 400m due to exhaustion.

Teaching and administrative career

Liu began his teaching career in the 1930s.[2][3] He taught as an assistant instructor, lecturer, associate professor, and professor of physical education at Northeastern University, Beijing Normal University, Northeastern Chung-Cheng University, and Dalian University of Technology.[2][3]

Liu Changchun's statue at the Olympic Square in Dalian

The Liu Changchun Gymnasium at the Dalian University of Technology[4] is named in honor of Liu.

As a sports administrator, Liu served in many capacities:

Liu is the author of the books Track and Field Instructional Methodology (Chinese: 田径指导法) and Track and Field Judging Methodology (Chinese: 田径裁判法).[2][3]

Legacy

Liu's life was made into the film The One Man Olympics.[5] It was released in 2008.

See also

References
  1. The Games of the Xth Olympiad, Los Angeles, 1932: Official Report, The Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, U.S.A. 1932 Ltd., 1933.
  2. "The first Chinese to step into the Olympic arena—Liu Changchun", 「第一個踏上奧運賽場的中國人─劉長春」, Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (http://www.tpenoc.net/), publication and copyright dates unknown.
  3. "The avant-garde of Chinese physical education—Liu Changchun", 「中華體育先驅─劉長春」, Dialian University of Technology, 2003.
  4. Liu Changchun Gymnasium, Dalian University of Technology.
  5. "The One Man Olympics". South China Morning Post. 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
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