90-degree running track cuts corners
Print Edition
COUNTY officials in Heilongjiang Province painted a rectangular running track at a stadium as they rushed preparations for a visit by their bosses.
Pictures posted online showed the running surface had the normal oval shape, but the white lines marking out each runner’s lane were angled at 90 degrees.
Internet users leapt on the revelation. “Leaders, this is the newly developed right-angled running track,” wrote one poster on Sina Weibo microblog, imitating the tone of a lower-ranking Chinese official reporting to his superior.
“We have become the first country in the world to have such tracks! I believe (Chinese athletes) will outperform other countries’ (athletes) after scientific training on such a running track!”
China National Radio yesterday described the forestry administration stadium in Tonghe in the northeastern province as having “rectangular tracks” around the football pitch.
“It is difficult to turn and easy to fall,” local resident Gong Xiaona told provincial television program Newsnight.
It quoted a stadium staffer as saying the previous track had become worn out by use.
“The current tracks were laid in a rush to deal with the visit by some provincial leaders,” he said. “We ourselves feel it’s ugly. But who can change it if our bosses don’t care?”
It is not unknown for local officials to come up with eccentric ideas to curry favor with their bosses or cope with inspections.
A publicly-funded orphanage in Jieyang in the southern province of Guangdong had its facilities transformed into government offices and dormitories, according to media reports.
When provincial authorities mounted an inspection last year, welfare officials sought to “borrow” orphans from a temple.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
