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Puerto Rican table tennis star aims for Olympic glory in Paris

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      China

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      Puerto Rican table tennis star aims for Olympic glory in Paris

      2024-07-30 22:25 Last Updated At:22:37

      A young table tennis player from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is setting her sights on Olympic success in Paris, fueled by her own journey from a converted swimming pool to the world stage, and inspiring a new generation of players in her homeland.

      Adriana Diaz, a multiple Pan-American Games gold medalist, has become a beacon of hope and pride for Puerto Rican sports, having started her table tennis journey at the age of four.

      Adriana Diaz's journey to the top of her sport career began at a modest table tennis center housed in a former town swimming pool in Utuado, in central Puerto Rico. Despite her diminutive stature as a young child, Diaz's passion for the game was ignited as she started hitting balls against the wall.

      "I started playing on the wall. And because I was very short, I couldn't get like to the table. So I started playing on the wall with my sisters," said Adriana.

      Her father Bladimir Diaz served as her coach at the center.

      "When I went to teach a practice session, Adriana would cry because she wanted to come with me, but I couldn't bring her with me because I was teaching many people," said Bladimir Diaz, Adriana's father.

      Realizing Adriana needed to learn from the world's best, the family sent the young prodigy to China for intensive training when she was just seven years old. She returned to the Asian table tennis powerhouse annually for the next eight years, honing her skills against top junior players.

      "I was practicing with a lot of little girls also my same age, and they were a lot better than me. They were very good. So, I wanted to get better just to be at their same level. And right after that, I think I fell in love with China really," said Adriana.

      Now 23 years old, Diaz has already competed at two Olympics, and ahead of the Paris Games, she had relocated to Japan to train full-time with a Chinese coach, with the aim of breaking into the world's top 10 players.

      Regardless of her performance in Paris, Adriana remains a shining star in Puerto Rican table tennis, inspiring young athletes like Ryan Cuadro Perez, who found his passion for the sport after watching her compete.

      "I started playing table tennis because I saw Adriana in one competition. I saw her playing. I saw the skills. I saw the sport. And then I started playing and I fell in love in this sport," Ryan.

      Ricardo Torres, a sports anchor and reporter with Telemundo in Puerto Rico, highlighted Adriana's impact on the sport.

      "She has changed everything about table tennis and Puerto Rico. Now, it is considered one of the main sports in the area. Adriana has been the main reason why table tennis has become a main sport. Now, all kids want to play table tennis like Adriana Diaz,” said Ricardo Torres, also an anchor and reporter of Puerto Rico Sports.

      Adriana's focus is now firmly set on the Paris Olympics, where she aims to become the first Puerto Rican to win a table tennis medal.

      "I want to play and try to get a medal. It's very hard. I think every tournament it's very hard. But I like my chances. I feel like right now I've improved a lot. And I just need to play my best," said the young table tennis player.

      Regardless of the Paris outcome, Adriana's journey has already inspired countless individuals in Puerto Rico to pursue their dreams with determination and passion.

      Puerto Rican table tennis star aims for Olympic glory in Paris

      Puerto Rican table tennis star aims for Olympic glory in Paris

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      Promotional video of CMG Spring Festival Gala screened at cultural events in Europe

      2025-01-20 16:52 Last Updated At:17:07

      A promotional video of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, a grand Chinese Lunar New Year celebration presented by China Media Group (CMG), was screened at various cultural events to mark the upcoming festival in European countries including Greece, Ukraine and Germany.

      The Chinese embassies in Greece and Ukraine held receptions last Friday to mark the assumption of office of the new Chinese ambassador to the host country and to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, marking the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

      At the receptions, the promotional video of the gala was screened and colorful cultural performance was staged, captivating the audience in attendance.

      "I think this promotional video is very good. I would expect a lot of technological effects and elements in the gala. This year, I will invite my friends over again to make dumplings and watch the Spring Festival Gala together, which, I think, will be very significant," said Yu Shuxian, an overseas Chinese in Athens, Greece.

      In Germany, attendees of cultural events held in Hamburg and Gottingen also watched the promotional video and said they eagerly look forward to enjoying the gala on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year on January 28.

      The gala, also known as "Chunwan" in Chinese, has been broadcast live annually on the Chinese New Year's Eve since 1983, and has been seen as a major cultural symbol for the traditional Lunar New Year celebrations in China.

      The 2025 Spring Festival gala will be the first edition since the Spring Festival's successful inclusion on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

      For Chinese people, the gala has evolved beyond a mere television show. It represents a nationally shared experience, a collective memory, and its evolution is in many ways representative of China's wider technological growth and social development.

      Promotional video of CMG Spring Festival Gala screened at cultural events in Europe

      Promotional video of CMG Spring Festival Gala screened at cultural events in Europe

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