The Tokyo Olympics, with all its twists and turns, is finally upon us with the opening ceremony just around the corner.
As we all know, the Olympic Games is the largest and most closely planned sports event in the world.
What is less well known, however, is that a hundred years ago, there were no women in the Olympics.
In the 19th century, the "Father of the Olympics," Coubertin, was adamant: "Women should not compete."
Figure source network, the same below
It wasn't until 1900 that women qualified for the Olympics for the first time, stepping onto the Olympic field.
Despite gaining admission, women still have to face many restrictions.
During the tournament, they had to wear long dresses and the sports they could participate in were limited to tennis and golf.
Gender restrictions in the Olympics were not completely broken until the 21st century.
At the 2012 London Olympics, women were finally able to compete in all Olympic sports.
Did you know? People have fought for 116 years for equal rights to participate in the Olympics.
Visual China
It sounds heartbreaking, but we have to recognize that even in 2021, women in many industries still face a similar dilemma.
As one of the most exciting events of the Olympics, soccer is no exception.
The presence of women's soccer seems minimal compared to men's soccer.
The women's players have even gotten used to the "no applause" situation.
In 1990, the Women's World Cup, under the leadership of Sun Wen and Liu Ailing, the Chinese women's soccer team had reached the final in record time.
At that time, the Chinese women's soccer team was known as the "Clanging Roses" and remembered by countless people.
However, with the retirement of the "golden generation", the Chinese women's soccer team once again fell into the trough and silence.
Before this Chinese women's soccer team got the ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, how many people could name any of the Chinese women's soccer players?
However, this spring, they turned the tide against the odds and beat South Korea in the women's soccer qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics.
Finally, it has won the attention of the nation.
Especially the 95-year-old girl named "Wang Shuang" who "opened the second goal" in the extra time.
"I'm not a gifted player, but don't want to lose to anyone."
In a recent interview with the media, Wang Frost said that she is not a gifted player.
You can take this as self-effacing, or you can believe it's a true summary of her journey along the way.
Because even Wang Frost, a gifted female player in the eyes of fans, has not had a smooth road to soccer.
At the age of seven, under the guidance of her cousin, Wang Frost first stepped onto a humble green field covered in small stones and was introduced to the most important companion in her life - soccer.
At the time, she was the only girl in the school's soccer club.
While the other girls danced and sang, she and a group of young boys, ran around in the hot Wuhan sun, having a great time with a soccer ball breaking goals.
This little girl, who has always been the scrappiest one in a group of little players.
After each practice, when the other children went to play and relax, she stayed alone on the court and practiced over and over again.
Efforts based on talent have not been in vain.
Thanks to her outstanding performance, Wuhan girl Wang Frost became famous at a young age.
She was selected for the National Junior Team at age 12, the National Youth Team at age 15, and the National Team at age 17.
Wang Frost first came to prominence on the world stage in 2015.
In a warm-up match between the Chinese women's soccer team at the time, 20-year-old Wang Frost scored a crucial goal to help China's women's soccer team beat its rival, the United States.
Women's World Cup 2015: Wang Frost scores as China 1-0 USA
The victory, after nine years, was hard won.
In 2018, in order to be exposed to more systematic soccer training, Wang Frost traveled to Paris to join Paris Saint-Germain FC.
From Wuhan to Beijing, from China to France.
Her stunning performance at the club impressed the world and made her the second "Miss Football Asia" in the history of Chinese women's soccer.
But, the first low point of her soccer career then found her.
Wang Frost, who returned to the national team for the 2019 Women's World Cup, played poorly, failing to contribute a stunning goal or finish a beautiful attack.
For this, Wang Frost is deeply remorseful.
After the World Cup, she terminated her contract early with her club in Paris and returned to the national team.
Those days were certainly dark for her.
At one point, when she was most disappointed, she told her coach, "Director Xu, I don't want to play anymore."
But the competitive, restless heart in her body eventually took over and she decided to prepare well for the Tokyo Olympics.
Only, accidents happen.
On the eve of the Spring Festival in 2020, there was an outbreak in Wuhan, and Wang Frost, a native of Wuhan, was at the center of the outbreak.
The outbreak, too, disrupted her training rhythm.
The city of Wuhan was closed and Wang Frost had to train alone at her home in Wuhan.
She trains at home with her own discus, does catching on the rooftop, and video "cloud training" with her teammates ......
For the qualifier against Australia in early February, Wang Frost, who was stuck in Wuhan, could only cheer on her teammates from afar on TV.
It wasn't until Wuhan was unblocked that Wang Frost returned to the team.
Due to the draw with Australia in the Olympic qualifiers, the Chinese women's soccer team had to make preparations to face the play-offs.
The match against South Korea has also become the final opportunity for the women's soccer girls to get to the Tokyo Olympics.
And in the second half of this play-off match, the Chinese women's soccer team had its highest moment of glory in the last two years.
Korea broke the deadlock first in the first half of the match, scoring two goals in a row.
Recalling the adversity of falling behind by a large margin, Wang Frost faced the camera and said these words, "I don't want to hear others recalling our women's soccer team in the future, just a sentence of nothing more than that."
With such a strong sense of conviction, Wang Frost pulled a goal back in the second half, and in overtime, she scored twice to seal the win.
Against great pressure, the women's soccer girls did not give up, they put all their strength, reversed the situation, fought back, and took the last ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games in the Asian region.
That's the power of the girls in women's soccer.
Even when faced with a brutal score, the women were willing to believe, "We will be able to beat our opponents."
This is the excitement that belongs to women's sports and the fervor of Chinese women's soccer.
"I trust that destiny is at my feet."
During the epidemic, Wang Frost was stranded in Wuhan. On the hard floor of a building's roof, she trained alone.
Far away, there is a special group of female players who train in even tougher conditions.
Hard concrete floors, nets plausible goals, cheap jerseys ......
Documentary on the soccer dreams of a group of mountain girls, below
Even fall and hurt themselves at every turn.
Players are so afraid of the pain that they want to quit the team at any moment.
Usually, soccer training is on the green field, why do these female players want to "torture" themselves like this?
In fact, they are an elementary school girls' soccer team from a remote mountainous area-
Girls' soccer team of Wize Youth League Hope Primary School, Changhu Town, Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Kunming, Yunnan.
Founded in 2017, the 20 young girls, without exception, are all Yi.
They are fans of Wang Frost's sister, and they harbor the same dream as the Chinese women's soccer team.
Do you think they come from good families and their parents unconditionally support the dream of playing soccer?
No, their parents think they're a waste of sneakers, they don't look like girls, and they say they "deserve" to get hurt.
You think they train on concrete just to "hone" themselves?
No, they don't have a court, a training ground, or at best a mat on concrete.
Do you think they're very inspirational, winning every game?
No, every year they go to the county school soccer league, but they've only won once-
The opponents are still like them, and they don't have a stadium either.
Only when they meet opponents who have trained on the green field, they are bound to lose.
Putting in your best efforts and not getting the rewards you want.
Whenever they got together to wash their feet before bed after training, they still prayed in their hearts-
Will a future Chinese women's soccer player be born in the team?
But, just believe, and the power of belief is infinite.
On April 28th, the first "Rose Dream Stadium" themed on Chinese women's soccer was completed at the Vizhay Youth League Hope School.
The "Wind Chaser Program", initiated by Alipay, helps children realize their dreams.
With the new stadium, the children began to dare to dream of the future.
"Want to play until I'm 60" "Want to get out of the mountains" "Want to be as good as the Chinese women's soccer team" ......
The team is starting to turn the corner and is able to play winnable games one after the other.
Believing that hope is at your feet, all those old thoughts of quitting disappear.
Both Wang Frost and this mountainous women's soccer team.
They both show us a power, a "power to believe in believing".
Because they believe, they hunker down and wait for every opportunity that comes their way.
Because they believe, they are willing to shed tears and sweat, even if they are not supported by their families or looked upon favorably by the outside world, they have to prove it to them.
Every girl, at one time or another, has probably had a moment like this-
Because she was a girl, she was questioned about her love of literature only, and her hobbies were all singing and dancing;
Because she is a girl, she was questioned about not being physically strong enough to participate in competitive sporting events;
Because of being a girl, she was questioned about not being able to study science well enough to participate in major projects, programs ......
But as long as you believe in the power of believing, and turn your love into the endurance of training day in and day out, you are no longer far away from accomplishing your dreams.
Recently, Ant Group set their sights on Wang Frost and this elementary school girls' team for a powerful short film featuring them.
The short film is full of people who are just like them, with dreams in their hearts.
Every human being possesses undying faith, and the power of faith brings more small and beautiful changes to the world.
You are not alone on the road to your dreams, just "believe in the power of believing".
