China officials offer cold cash for hometown glory

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - As China unites around its big Olympics gold haul, provinces and cities across the nation are also competing fiercely to see hometown athletes triumph in Beijing, offering big bonuses some fear can be a distraction.

As in other areas of national success, China's sporting wins often reflect the mutual embrace of capitalist cash and top-down Communist Party power.

When Wang Feng won gold in synchronized diving, his home city in east China's Shandong province immediately handed his family a bonus check of 600,000 yuan ($87,400).

"After the Games finish, we can now hold his wedding," Wang's teary-eyed grandfather said, according to the Chinese-language Changjiang Daily on Thursday.

Local officials keen to burnish their and their regions' reputations often offer bonuses to the athletes who bring glory. Some have attended Olympic finals with the cash in hand, Xinhua news agency recently reported. In turn, areas that produce Olympic gold receive more funds from central sports authorities.

Bonuses are by no means unique to China. But in this country where many still live in modest poverty, the sums are impressive.

When weightlifter Chen Xiexia won China's first gold at the Beijing games, her hometown in the southern province of Guangdong announced a bonus of 50,000 yuan ($7,300), local media reported. One report suggested her bonuses from the town, district and nearby Guangzhou city could reach 3 million yuan ($437,000).

Officials in Nanchong city in southwest Sichuan province have said they will give local hopeful Wang Na 250,000 yuan ($36,400) if she wins in synchronized swimming, the local newspaper said.

Hunan province in the east is offering gold winners a million yuan ($146,000) each, provided by a local liquor maker, and organized a grand celebration in Beijing when weightlifter Long Qingquan won the province's first gold at the Games.

All this is in addition to commercial endorsement payments and medal bonuses handed out by central sporting authorities.

Central officials have not revealed how much their bonuses will be, but Chinese newspapers have said gold medal winners are likely to get 250,000 yuan each -- 50,000 more than at Athens.

Some worry the frenzy of bonuses could distract athletes as much as they fire them up.

After shooter Du Li unexpectedly failed in one event, local commentators said she may have felt unsteadied by the huge bonuses on offer in a sport where inner poise is crucial.

"Many provinces and cities compete with bonus sizes for gold-winning athletes," said Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper controlled by Beijing. "The temptation of these massive benefits is also one invisible source of pressure."

(Editing by Nick Macfie)

($1=6.86 yuan) (For more stories visit our multimedia website "2008 Summer Olympics" here; and see our blog at blogs.reuters.com/china) (chris.buckley@reuters.com; +86-13501014479)