Asian Games: Cheerleaders blamed for loss

Unfortunately beach volleyball seems to be taking over the world. It is an artificial sport that seemingly has no expiry date on excitement.

Already a hit in the United States, South America and parts of Europe it is fast catching on in the conservative bastions of Asia. It has been one of the most talked about events at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, drawing large crowds day and night - although the sport often got overshadowed by the attire.

As has been widely reported, the Yemeni team blamed an opening round loss on the super sexy Chinese cheerleaders, who parade between breaks in play.

"I think they had something to do with our losing the match," said Adeeb Mahfoudh, "these girls are very beautiful and they had an effect on how we played."

He also felt their Indonesian opponents were much more focussed.

The local English language newspapers were quite taken by the response, one saying that Mahfoudh's comment were "a tribute to the beauty, efficiency and modesty of the Chinese female".

There are four squads of eight bikini-clad girls, not surprisingly all of the same height and stature. They were drawn from universities across the country and what does make them stand out - in all seriousness - is the flair and uniqueness of their routines.

Aside from the usual American style cheering, they also perform routines that include traditional Chinese elements such as Wushu (a Chinese martial art) and fan dancing.

The crowds lap it up and the beach volleyball venue has been one of the few, along with badminton, table tennis, weightlifting and football where the stadium is consistently full.

The sport is also provided one of the feel good stories from the Games.

The team from the tiny nation of Timor Este (population 1.1 million)- only recently declared an independent nation - had never played in bikinis before.

Strict religious rules at home (women are not allowed to expose their bodies in public) mean they practice in trousers and long shelved shirts; now they were in swimsuits in front of a large crowd and a television audience across Asia. It was also the first time their coach has seen them in a swimsuit and it seems like he didn't know where to look as he gave them a pep talk between games.

The duo was thrashed by a formidable Chinese combination but in the true spirit of the games, are here to soak up the experience.

Timor-Leste has sent 29 athletes in nine sports and most have finished in the lower rungs of the competition but all are vowing to go home and improve.

The only downside to beach volleyball is that it is actually quite boring. There is no denying the skill, athleticism and power of the proponents but for the educated sports fan there is a lack of intricacy and tactics.

Having two players on such a large court means there are gaps everywhere and really limits the options. Watching the Chinese men's team take Japan markedly illustrated this point. The Chinese would serve every time to the obviously shorter player, which means he would be left with the spike each time.

Imagine watching two versus two in rugby, football, hockey or league. A player could throw dummies, fake - do anything he wanted - but his opponents would know there is only one passing option. That is also the reason why the scaled down version of Basketball is three-a-side.

International volleyball administrators would respond 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' but surely having three players on each side of the net would introduce a bit of much-needed mystery into the play.

Michael Burgess travelled to China with the support of the Asia New Zealand Foundation, which is an organisation dedicated to building New Zealanders' knowledge and understanding of Asia.