Guangzhou

By Paul Rhys in Asia on November 24th, 2010
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

China works pretty hard to make sure its athletes win gold medals.

As I write, the Chinese lead the Asian Games table with 165 of them, far ahead of South Korea in second with 66.

On Tuesday night, 36,000 people at University Town Main Stadium in Guangzhou, and millions more watching on TV, celebrated China winning a brand new one for its collection - the first women's rugby gold.

Losing 17-14 to Kazakhstan in the dying seconds of the final, 22-year-old forward Sun Tingting took a pass, ran unchallenged into the end zone, and bent down to score a try that would give China a 19-17 win.

That's where the shouts of joy stuck in Chinese throats, and re-emerged in those of the Kazakhs.

Inches from the ground, Sun dropped the ball.

By Paul Rhys in Asia on November 18th, 2010
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

It is the biggest moment of any Asian Games. The single moment that millions of people will remember. You may have already seen it.

If you missed that little hint, it's here. Yes, here.

Khalfan Fahad's astonishing open-goal miss for Qatar in the first minute of extra time against Uzbekistan came in a football match that few would otherwise have paid any attention to.

Even those of us at the game here in Guangzhou, who threw our hands to our heads in amazement at Fahad's error, didn't realise just how big it would become.

But once the 18-year-old's blunder went out on Al Jazeera Sport, there was no stopping it.

By Paul Rhys in Asia on November 15th, 2010
Picture by EPA

Even the biggest football fan could be forgiven for missing the most momentous goal so far at the Asian Games here in Guangzhou.

A long-range strike from Jordan's Maysa Jbarah on Sunday came sandwiched in the middle of 10 goals for their opponents, China –  a powerhouse of women's football in Asia and the hosts of this tournament of 42 sports and 12,000 athletes.

The 21-year-old's goal was Jordan's first at an Asian Games, coming four years after the team conceded 30 and scored none at their first appearance at the competition in Doha.

The quality of the finish – and the way the chance was created by fellow Amman-born strike partner Shahnaz Jebreen – showed that Jordan can have a future in a sport where the gulf in class between the top and bottom sides can produce brutal scorelines.

As China's coach Li Xiaopeng said after the teams' opening Group A match: "Our girls did a good job, but Jordan's one goal is more important than our 10 goals."

By Paul Rhys in Asia on November 11th, 2010
Picture by GALLO/GETTY

Four years ago, a high-ranking Arabian prince charged his horse up a steep ramp with a burning torch in his hand to light the Asian Games flame on the roof of the Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

A few yards from the top, the horse's front right hoof slipped on a surface made greasy by a downpour that followed months of dry Gulf weather.

To a crowd of 50,000 and an audience of millions watching on television, it looked like Qatar's arrival on the grand sporting stage was about to be marked by embarrassment, if not serious injury.

The moment was heart-stopping to watch.

But through pushing with his legs and leaning forward, the prince was able to keep his black gelding Malibu thrusting upwards - instead of toppling sideways onto the ramp.

Al Jazeera Live

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