Huang Jianxiang: Olympic Men’s Football Competition Should Be Changed to Beach Soccer or Futsal

Tomorrow, the football matches for the 2024 Paris Olympics will kick off ahead of schedule. Renowned football commentator Huang Jianxiang posted on social media, “This is a convention of the Olympics: as the entire tournament lasts six rounds and the final must conclude before the closing ceremony, the games start before the opening ceremony, for both men’s and women’s teams alike.”

Huang Jianxiang wrote that, following the 2012 London Olympics, China’s women’s team has once again failed to qualify for the Olympics, and it may be even more difficult in the future. Japan and Australia have made it into the Olympic women’s football competition. As for China’s men’s team, they have only participated in the Olympics once, during the 2008 Beijing Games as host nation, and have never managed to qualify otherwise.

Moreover, Huang Jianxiang noted that representing Asia in this Olympic tournament are Japan, Iraq, and Uzbekistan. The Japanese team might cause some upsets. Meanwhile, South Korea, counting from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, has failed to enter the Olympic men’s football event for the first time, marking the end of a record.

Huang Jianxiang reminisced about how he had commentated on Olympic football multiple times, witnessing the women’s team’s glory as runners-up in 1996, and the disheartening 0-8 loss to Germany in 2004. He also saw Nigeria triumph over Brazil and Argentina to win gold, Cameroon defeating Spain led by Xavi under the guidance of Samuel Eto’o, and Carlos Tevez securing victory over Paraguay in the midday sun of Athens…

In conclusion, Huang Jianxiang stated that the Olympic men’s football competition should be changed to beach soccer or futsal, a suggestion he has been making for years. We have just witnessed a European Championship where players were visibly exhausted; can the upcoming Olympic football matches be more exciting and intense?