Sri Lankan flood victims await for relief workers to bring them drinkable water bottles and food at Godagama, Matara, southern part of Sri Lanka on May 30, 2017. [Photo/VCG] COLOMBO - Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday thanked the Chinese government and its people for their assistance to flood-hit families in the island country. Along with tents, blankets and funds donated by the Chinese government and companies, the Buddhist Association of China on Saturday also donated 22 million rupees ($144,000) to the Disaster Relief Fund to assist the families affected by the disaster. Speaking to Chinese monks and officials who were present from the donation, Sirisena said China had immediately responded to Sri Lanka's call for aid and had sent three ships of relief items for the victims. In addition, he said, a Chinese flight with more relief items is also expected to arrive in the island country. Many countries have helped us by sending ships and flights filled with relief items. Many have donated funds as well. On behalf of the government and its people, I wish to thank all these countries. These funds will now be used to build houses for those affected, Sirisena said. The president said China and Sri Lanka have shared a long lasting friendship which would only continue to be further strengthened. The Chinese relief items, along with donations of funds, have been distributed to thousands of Sri Lankan people affected by the floods and landslides which hit the nation earlier this week. An 18-member Chinese Blue Sky Rescue Team is also in the country, assisting forces and authorities to conduct cleaning operations, medical care and disease prevention in some of the worst-hit areas. The flood victims have commended the help offered by China. China has always helped us in many ways. We are praying for their safety and strength as they continue to help those affected in these areas, Nilanthi Dhammika, a villager in Pahiyangala in the country's south, said. Chairman of the Sevalanka Foundation Harsha Navaratne said Sri Lanka always remembered China's assistance especially during troubled times. Even during the ongoing disaster, the Chinese government along with its private sector provided great relief to the victims, he added. China has pledged to offer 15 million yuan ($2.2 million) in humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka after severe rains from May 26 caused disastrous floods and landslides in many districts of the country. So far 211 people have been killed while 91 others still missing in the worst disaster since 2003, according to the Disaster Management Center. Over 700,000 people have been affected by the floods and landslides while over 100,000 are seeking shelter in safe locations. personalised fabric wristbandsslap wristbandslivestrong braceletrubber wristbands in bulkthe wristband factory24hr wristbandprinted wristbands
Two kindergarten teams from Zhuhai, Guangdong province, compete in a five-a-side match on Saturday during the 2017 National Children's Football Expo in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Photo Provided To China Daily In 2002, the Chinese national soccer team was inspired to reach its first - and so far only - FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea by head coach Bora Milutinovic's happy soccer philosophy. Fifteen years on, the country plans to further instill the concept by introducing a tailor-made preschool soccer program at 27,000 kindergartens by 2020. A smart teaching system, part of the China Eyas Program, was launched on Saturday at the National Children's Football Expo in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the first provincial-level soccer reform pilot area. An expert panel appointed by the National Development Committee for Young Children's Sports has customized the curriculum to suit the mental and physical condition of children age 3 to 6, with the stress on fun rather than technical aspects of the game. The China Eyas Program, which was launched by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation and the China Sports Foundation in May last year, will bring the teaching system to 3,000 preschools nationwide on a trial basis by the end of this year. Early years educational institutions are operating everywhere, but there hasn't been a national platform to offer standard and tailor-made soccer training for such young children before, said Hu Jianguo, director of the committee. We expect the program to make a difference. The smart teaching system is based on cloud data storage and consists of monitors, tracking cameras and wearable devices. Teachers nationwide can study the curriculum online, organize classes with video guidance, and improvise based on the collected data. Parents can also track a child's real-time participation in training and receive feedback from teachers via a mobile app. You will never have enough trainers to expand soccer education across the country, so this system addresses the issue with a high-tech and efficient solution, said Liu Hong, executive partner of Beijing Yinglets Sports, which operates the system. During the Ordos expo, which ends on Tuesday, children from more than 30 kindergartens have been competing in a five-a-side tournament, while 120 teachers have received theoretical and practical training. China has an ambitious soccer development plan, but the education of preschool children is often overlooked and needs more attention, according to Wu Gang, vice-president of the Inner Mongolia Football Association. To develop soccer, we really need to start with children at a very young age, he said. If you look at European countries, kids begin signing up with clubs to receive training when they are little more than toddlers. However, experts also warn against pushing kindergarten children too hard. Younger kids understand things differently. ... The information needs to go in a little bit easier and at a slower pace, said Aaron Reynolds, founder of the Beijing Aaron Football Academy, which has about 500 students. It's a golden age for kids to move into football between 3 and 6, but they need to learn more psychologically as opposed to physically during this phase. Just give them a ball, teach them to be confident and have fun. [email protected]
