Celebrating Chinese-Canadians in Sports

Table tennis anyone? That's the question!

Last weekend we checked out the latest exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Chinatown that is coincidentally sort of tied to the World Cup in Vancouver.

Entitled Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports, the exhibition showcases Chinese-Canadian athletic talent in all kinds of disciplines, like ice hockey and basketball, Canadian football, figure skating, snowboarding and swimming.

Many cool items on display at the exhibition

It's a fantastic way to celebrate these people who have excelled in their sport at the highest level. There's Patrick Chan, who has medalled three times in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, Lori Fung, who won the first gold in rhythmic gymnastics in 1984, and Norman Kwong the first person of Chinese heritage who played football for the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos, and was even the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta.

On display are Chan's ice skates and one of his medals from Sochi that looks banged-up, Fung's gymnastic suit and ribbons, and a giant pair of sneakers that Zach Edey wore while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA! Edey's mother is the daughter of Chinese immigrants in Toronto.

There's also some other Asian artists whose work are in the show. Visitors are first greeted by an indoor tennis table that has the words "Tomorrow Is The Question" in caps by Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. I've seen his work over the years, with other tennis tables written with "Demain Est La Question".

Tiravanija's thought-provoking message

But most interesting are Tiravanija's works where he takes newspapers from a specific city and writes thought-provoking messages. 

The first and most memorable one I saw at Art Basel Hong Kong one year featured the message, "Freedom Cannot Be Simulated" written on the pages of the South China Morning Post newspaper.

There's also a funny animation called "Furry Ball" about what happens to a golf ball by Hong Kong artist Wong Ping, and photographs of young female field hockey players by Canadian-Malaysian artist Felicia Chang.

Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports is on until July 19, 2026.

Chinese Canadian Museum

51 East Pender Street

Vancouver

 

Press Freedom Under Attack

Palestinian journalists were recognised for their work this year

Today is World Press Freedom Day and Palestinians were awarded the UNESCO press freedom prize for covering the Israeli war on Gaza. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists, more than 100 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinian, have been killed in the first seven months of the conflict in Gaza since October 7 last year.

However, Gaza's Government Media Office says the toll is more than 140.

"In these times of darkness and hopelessness, we wish to share a strong message of solidarity and recognition to those Palestinian journalists who are covering this crisis in such dramatic circumstances," said Mauricio Weibel, chair of the international jury of media professionals during the announcement.

RSF released its annual press freedom index

Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders released its annual press freedom ranking and Hong Kong continues to rank low on the list, though five spots higher than last year at #135.

Sandwiched in between the Philippines and Sudan, Hong Kong still ranks poorly due to the changing situation of other countries.

"Hong Kong is +5 places [up], but only due to the movement of other countries in the Index. Hong Kong's score actually has fallen -1.8 points, which is a significant change," explained Aleksandra Beilakowska, the NGO's Asia-Pacific Bureau Adovcacy Officer.

Last month she was denied entry into Hong Kong and was searched and questioned for six hours at the airport before she was deported back to Taiwan where she is based.

Interestingly Canada ranks #14, while the United States is #55. China is #172 and Eritrea is at the bottom of the list at #180.

Yesterday the Nikkei reported that Chinese-owned media are distancing themselves from Asia's highest profile journalism prize in a bid to avoid being seen as "colluding with foreign forces."

Fewer outlets are participating in this award

The Society of Publishers in Asia gives out awards annually to regional and international media outlets ranging from breaking news to photojournalism, features and video stories.

However, media outlets like Beijing-based Caixin Media, Shanghai-based Sixth Tone, state-owned The World of Chinese, and even the Alibaba-owned South China Morning Post have dropped their SOPA membership or have not submitted entries for the awards.

Luwei Rose Luqiu, an associate professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, said these outlets distancing themselves from SOPA shows a further tightening of press freedom in China, to the point where even the space for Chinese English media, which used to be relatively lenient and aimed to align with international peers is narrowing.

"However, for Chinese media, whether to participate in SOPA has little impact because such awards do not affect their readership," she said.

It's a pity this is happening, resulting in journalists having fewer opportunities to have their work judged against peers and recognised in the industry. It may come to a point where SOPA becomes irrelevant which would definitely indicate a further decline in press freedom not only in Hong Kong, but the region...