Chapter 848: A Moment to Remember
1 day later, Chen Yan received an official call from the State General Administration of Sport.
The news was exactly what Yao Ming had told him.
Chen would serve as the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.
Even though he had already been mentally prepared, hearing the official confirmation still filled him with excitement.
This was an honor almost every Chinese athlete dreamed of receiving.
When Chen told his parents, they were just as thrilled.
They immediately told him they would be there in person.
Chen had already reserved 3 tickets to the opening ceremony for his parents and Mei Mei.
During his free time in Guangzhou, Chen often took Mei Mei out to explore the city.
She found the experience exciting the first couple of times.
After that, the novelty quickly disappeared.
Basketball fans were everywhere.
Music fans were everywhere.
Every time the 2 of them stepped outside, crowds seemed to form around them.
Mei Mei had even considered covering herself from head to toe to avoid recognition.
It did not help much.
She and Chen were simply too noticeable together.
Even if she wrapped herself up like a dumpling, someone would still recognize them.
...
On July 6, the Stanković Cup began.
It would serve as the Chinese men's basketball team's final major warmup tournament before the Olympics.
The entire team took it seriously.
The tournament was held at Tianhe Stadium and used a round robin format.
2 games would be played each day.
On the final day, the bottom 2 teams would play for 3rd place, while the top 2 competed for the championship.
8 games in total across 4 days.
The participating teams were China, Australia, Russia, and Tunisia.
China's first opponent was Tunisia.
On paper, Tunisia posed little threat.
Jonas Kazlauskas made it clear before the game that simply winning was not the goal.
Against an opponent of this level, China should win without needing any special motivation.
What Jonas cared about was execution.
Spacing.
Rotations.
Passing.
Defensive positioning.
He wanted his players to run the systems they had practiced and use the game as genuine preparation for London.
Chen played the entire 1st quarter and produced an efficient all around performance.
10 points.
4 rebounds.
4 assists.
China controlled the game from the opening minutes and ended the quarter ahead 31 to 16.
Chen and Yao Ming both rested throughout the 2nd quarter.
Jonas wanted meaningful preparation, but he had no intention of unnecessarily exhausting his core players.
Guo Ailun received extended minutes and immediately attacked the rim twice with obvious excitement.
Tunisia simply could not match China's overall talent.
By halftime, the deficit was nearly 30 points.
In the 3rd quarter, Jonas staggered Chen and Yao's minutes.
The lead continued to grow.
By the 4th quarter, Tunisia had essentially stopped resisting.
Final score:
China 101.
Tunisia 51.
The atmosphere inside the arena became relatively quiet as the game progressed.
The talent gap was simply too large.
Once the score became completely lopsided, even the crowd lost some of its excitement.
China's 2nd game came against Australia.
Riding the momentum from the opener, China won comfortably again.
85 to 50.
2 straight victories.
Australia had brought a reserve heavy roster, while China also used the game to develop younger players.
Guo Ailun and Ding Jinhui both started.
The 35 point margin looked enormous.
Ironically, it would end up being the smallest margin of victory China recorded throughout the tournament.
In the 3rd game, China crushed Russia by 42 points.
Russia had also brought a secondary roster because several of its top players were participating in the Olympic qualifying tournament.
Then came the final.
China faced Australia again.
This time, China won by 39 points.
If there was 1 word that summarized China's Stanković Cup run, it was simple.
Dominance.
Fans joked that even though the opposition had not provided much resistance, the tournament was not completely useless.
At the very least, the national team had gained confidence.
Others took an even simpler view.
A trophy was still a trophy.
The Stanković Cup had first been held in 2005.
This was China's first championship in the event.
Chen and Yao had spent much of the tournament playing at a relaxed pace.
That gave Yi Jianlian the opportunity to shine.
Yi was named tournament MVP after averaging 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
...
On July 20, the Chinese men's basketball team flew to Europe for its final stage of Olympic preparation.
2 days later, China faced Poland in another warmup game.
Both teams concentrated more on lineup chemistry than winning.
Even so, the difference in overall strength was obvious.
China won comfortably.
Poland's only NBA player was Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat.
After the game, China traveled directly to London and officially moved into the Olympic Village.
Their Olympic opener would be played on July 29.
The opponent?
Spain.
Nobody inside the Chinese camp took that matchup lightly.
Spain entered London as the reigning European champion.
If China could defeat them, it would send a powerful message.
This team would not merely be competing for another strong finish.
It could realistically believe in contending for Olympic gold.
Jonas understood the magnitude of the game.
He also understood that putting too much pressure on his players before the tournament even began would be counterproductive.
So he tried to keep the atmosphere as relaxed as possible.
Chen took advantage of some free time to explore London with Mei Mei.
They visited the London Eye.
London Bridge.
Big Ben.
All iconic landmarks.
Mei Mei had been to London before.
For Chen, it was his first visit.
Fans recognized them repeatedly along the way.
The experience was noticeably different from China.
People approached.
They asked for pictures or waved.
But most did not follow them endlessly through the streets.
Chen and Mei Mei were generally allowed a reasonable amount of personal space.
When evening arrived, Chen did not stay out.
He returned to the Olympic Village alone.
The first game was approaching.
He wanted to preserve his energy.
...
Soon, opening ceremony day arrived.
London's ceremony did not attempt to match Beijing's enormous scale.
In Chen's mind, it was difficult to imagine any future Olympics recreating the sheer spectacle of Beijing 2008.
London chose a different identity.
The theme was "Isles of Wonder."
The ceremony focused on the history, culture, and transformation of the British Isles.
Its inspiration came partly from William Shakespeare's The Tempest.
The production began with the ringing of a giant bell suspended inside the Olympic Stadium.
The bell weighed 27 tons.
Hundreds of speakers filled the venue with sound.
Then the ceremony unfolded through scenes depicting British history and culture.
The stadium floor transformed into a pastoral landscape.
Horse drawn plows crossed the field.
Milkmaids worked nearby.
Families enjoyed picnics.
A village cricket team appeared.
Groups of performers danced across the grass.
Then the peaceful countryside changed.
Tall chimneys rose.
The Industrial Revolution arrived.
Britain transformed.
And with it, so did much of the modern world.
Director Danny Boyle presented the period not only as a source of national pride, but also as a transformation worthy of reflection.
One of the ceremony's most memorable moments came with the appearance of Mr. Bean.
The instant Rowan Atkinson appeared, laughter spread through the stadium.
He joined a performance of the theme from Chariots of Fire, providing his own exaggerated contribution from the keyboard.
The comedy played perfectly against the grandeur of the orchestra.
Later came a celebration of British popular music.
The Beatles.
The Rolling Stones.
Queen.
Rock.
Punk.
Electronic music.
Rap.
Different generations of British music were woven through the performance.
The stadium screens then showed the journey of the Olympic flame from Greece to London.
David Beckham arrived by speedboat along the River Thames as the torch moved closer to the Olympic Stadium.
Following the performance of Abide with Me, the parade of nations began.
The Chinese delegation was scheduled to enter 42nd.
Delegations marched according to the English names recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
China was listed under "China," placing it 41st alphabetically among the participating delegations.
Greece, however, always entered first in recognition of its role as the birthplace of the Olympic Games.
That moved China's actual position in the parade to 42nd.
Then the moment arrived.
The stadium announcer introduced the delegation.
China.
Thousands of spectators turned toward the entrance.
At the front of the delegation stood Chen Yan.
He held the national flag firmly in both hands.
The Chinese athletes followed behind him.
As Chen stepped into the stadium, the roar of the crowd rolled down from the stands.
He looked forward.
Then upward.
The flag rose higher.
From the stands, Mei Mei was waving excitedly.
So were Chen's father and mother.
They had traveled all this way to witness him lead the national delegation into the Olympic Stadium.
Chen saw them.
For a moment, everything else seemed distant.
The NBA championship.
The Finals MVP trophy.
The exhausting season.
The flight back to China.
Training camp.
All of it had led him here.
He tightened his grip on the flagpole and continued walking.
Under the lights of the London Olympic Stadium, with thousands watching from the stands and countless more around the world, Chen Yan carried the national flag at the front of the Chinese delegation.
For him, it was more than another achievement.
It was a moment he would remember for the rest of his life.
…..
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].