Qualification for Participation

On the train back to the provincial capital, Zhang Guan sat next to Old Chen and asked, "Old Chen, now that I've won the championship, does this mean I can participate in the Asian Athletics Championships?"

Old Chen thought for a moment, then shook his head with a serious expression, "Not necessarily, it's hard to say right now."

"Why? Isn't this supposed to be the selection competition for the Asian Athletics Championships? According to the rules, if I won the championship, I should naturally be qualified to participate in the Asian Athletics Championships." Zhang Guan seemed a bit anxious. The task prompt in the system also required Zhang Guan to participate in an international competition. If he couldn't make it to the Asian Athletics Championships this time, who knows when he could complete this task.

Old Chen sighed deeply and said, "Things are not as simple as you think. Although this competition is called the selection trial for the Asian Athletics Championships, it doesn't necessarily mean that the first-place winner in the selection trial will represent the country in the competition."

Zhang Guan looked at Old Chen, confused and clearly not understanding his meaning. Old Chen continued, "Although you are the champion of this selection trial, in fact, the likelihood of the center sending you to the Asian Athletics Championships is not high. So the situation is quite complex. You can think of it as the nature of our country's system. Not only for a mere Asian Athletics Championship, but even for the Olympics, an athlete who meets the A standard might not necessarily be chosen over an athlete who meets the B standard. Even if I explain it to you now, you might not fully understand. You'll naturally understand as you see more in the future. For now, calm down and don't get complacent just because you broke the national record. When you go back, train diligently. You're only seventeen years old. As long as you train well, you won't lack opportunities to compete."

Although Old Chen's explanation was vague, Zhang Guan quickly grasped the underlying meaning after a bit of contemplation.

The selection system for athletes in the country inherently involves various complex interests. When selecting athletes to participate in international competitions, it's not only necessary to consider internal factions but also regional interests. From a certain perspective, regional teams have more explicit demands for benefits. They put in a lot of effort to cultivate an athlete, so naturally, they expect the athlete to bring them benefits. For these benefits, they might obstruct a promising athlete's path to higher-level competitions, find excuses to ban or sideline the athlete, or even force the athlete to retire early.

Over the years, local teams have been nurturing and developing excellent athletes and then sending them to the national team. Therefore, the national team must reciprocate to some extent. This isn't just a matter of exchanging benefits; it's more of a mutual reliance necessary for the development of sports.

This reciprocation includes not just financial compensation, but also honors.

For some weaker sports, obtaining the qualification to participate in the Olympics is itself an honor, an honor that can be allocated through various means.

For someone who came later, Zhang Guan would understand such things even without detailed explanations. The scenario where a B-standard athlete replaces an A-standard athlete in the Olympics has happened before. For instance, in the women's 54 kg weightlifting event at the London Olympics, the national weightlifting team did not send the top A-standard athlete but instead sent a B-standard athlete. Subsequently, the team did not win any medals in that event at the Olympics.

Weightlifting is not like table tennis, where sending just anyone could win a gold medal. But it's undeniable that weightlifting is a strong suit for the national team. In the women's 54 kg category, Chinese athletes have previously won Olympic gold medals and broken world records. Even though their strength may not be as formidable as before, they still have the potential to win medals. However, during the selection process for the Olympics, they resisted the temptation of an Olympic medal and steadfastly bowed to factional and regional interests. They selected a less qualified athlete with a strong background to participate in the Olympics, fully embodying the spirit of competition second.". Facing media skepticism after the competition, they remained unfazed and unperturbed.

Compared to the women's weightlifting event, the men's 100 meters sprint in athletics has always been a mere formality. Its Olympic qualification is even more suitable as an honor, a gift to a regional team as a reward for their years of support for the national sports effort.

Thinking of this, Zhang Guan clenched his fist in frustration. If he had the fame of someone like Yao Ming or Liu Xiang, he wouldn't worry about the center stripping him of his participation qualification. In fact, the center would be begging him to participate, and he wouldn't even have to worry about securing an Olympic qualification!

...

A national record in the men's 100 meters brought leadership recognition, a special commendation meeting, and media praise to the provincial athletics team. The most practical benefit was that Zhang Guan was included in a provincial-level outstanding talent program, allowing him to receive an annual stipend.

As for Zhang Guan himself, apart from his significantly improved status in the team, he was still an ordinary person. Not to mention walking down the street, even stepping out of the athletics training ground, no one recognized him. In the era before the internet fully exploded, a national record was far from enough to make an athlete a household name, especially in a long-neglected event like the men's 100 meters. This event lacked the frequent media attention and endless topics like the equally weak football.

...

In the conference room of the Athletics Center.

A large screen was displaying the scene of Zhang Guan overtaking Chen Jian in the final. The camera zoomed in, fixing on the scoreboard, showcasing the 10.16-second result in a close-up.

Coach Yu pressed the pause button on the remote control and said, "This was the race yesterday. You all saw it; although Zhang Guan's reaction time at the start was slow, his explosive power was very good, and his speed was very fast. Reaching this level of speed and explosiveness at seventeen, even among black athletes in the U.S., is rare."

After finishing, Coach Yu looked towards the center of the room where a middle-aged man with a crew cut was seated. This man was surnamed Ma, the head coach of the national athletics team and also the deputy director of the center. It was certain that he would be promoted to deputy director in the future. He was the highest-ranking official in the meeting.

Director Ma pointed at the screen and said, "I have already provided a written report on Zhang Guan's situation to everyone before the meeting. I think you all have some understanding of him. The Asian Athletics Championships this time are regarded as a preparatory event before the Athens Olympics next year, and the Sports Bureau attaches great importance to it. According to the Athletics Association's previous plan, the participants for the men's sprint have already been decided, and naturally, Zhang Guan was not among the original candidates. Zhang Guan breaking the national record was an unexpected event for us. Whether to stick to the original list or replace someone with Zhang Guan is the main topic of today's meeting."

After finishing, Director Ma looked at an older gentleman opposite him and said, "Old He, why don't you start?"

Old He nodded and said, "I come from a pole vault background, and I have some understanding of sprinting. Since Director Ma asked me to speak, I'll start by giving my opinion. Zhang Guan is a great prospect; his explosive power and speed are first-class. As long as he receives proper training, he will definitely achieve great things in the future. This child is only seventeen years old and still very young. From the perspective of cultivating talent, he should be given more opportunities; however, he has only had two months of formal training and lacks the experience and technical skills of older athletes. It wouldn't be wise to push him too hard too soon."

After Old He finished, he sat down. Coach Yu glared at him, thinking that this old fox had said a lot without saying anything substantial, all meaningless talk.

Director Ma also knew that Old He wouldn't say anything significant. He just wanted someone to start the discussion so that others could speak freely. Old He, being older and not making many decisions, was a suitable choice.

Sure enough, before Director Ma could point to the next person, someone spoke up voluntarily, "I oppose Zhang Guan's participation in this Asian Athletics Championships!"