Jeremy Lin, Sun Yang or NBA’s China crisis? What were the top 10 SCMP Sport stories of 2019?
- It was a crowded field for the most talked about story involving China over the past year as it dominated the headlines
- Jeremy Lin and Sun Yang are the undoubted personalities of Chinese sport over the last 12 months
It’s that most wonderful time of the year again when we here at SCMP Sport collate 12 months of web traffic reports to put together a list of the top stories of the year – at least in terms of cold hard traffic numbers.
The list of stories is ranked in terms of page views and stories had to have been published in 2019 to be included.
Here is a descending list from number 10 of the most-clicked SCMP Sport stories of 2019. Here’s to many more clicks in 2020.
10. Hong Kong Jockey Club cancels Happy Valley race meeting over threat of anti-government protests
This list kicks off with the story of a historic Happy Valley race meeting: one that was cancelled at a few hours’ notice due to the threat of anti-government protests, a topic that figured highly for SCMP Sport this year, affecting the meeting.
The worry centred on controversial politician Junius Ho Kwan-yiu and his horse Hong Kong Bet. There were suggestions that protesters could gain entry to the course and disrupt the running of Ho’s horse.
In the end, the Hong Kong Jockey Club decided to get out ahead of a potentially damaging (and costly) flashpoint and called the meeting off after Ho refused to withdraw his horse from action that night, marking the first time political and civil unrest had forced a race meeting cancellation in Hong Kong.
9. NBA boss Adam Silver says Chinese government asked him to fire Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey
In this particular story, NBA chief Adam Silver revealed he had been asked by the Chinese government to fire Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey (he of the overactive Twitter account).
8. Why we should not watch Floyd Mayweather fight again, even with added spice of UFC’s Dana White
7. Security guard stops Jeremy Lin from boarding bus in Milwaukee … but he’s delighted Raptors are in NBA Finals
This particular story reported how the basketball ace was stopped from boarding a team bus in the US shortly after he became an NBA champion. Something that would never happen to him in China.
6. The runner with the runs: Chinese athlete suffers diarrhoea nightmare at Shanghai half-marathon
If compiling these lists over a few years has taught me anything, it’s that sex and s*** sells. Stories of personal humiliation just titillate more than most, it’s as simple as that, sadly. We shouldn’t feel too bad about it, it’s in our nature. Our piece on a pooey Chinese runner defying diarrhoea to scramble six kilometres at the Shanghai international half marathon, and win his category, had all the ingredients you need for a viral story.
5. Sun Yang rants ‘you loser, I’m winning’ at Duncan Scott after British swimmer snubs him on podium
4. NBA superstar James Harden stopped by traffic police in Shanghai and has bike confiscated on China promotional tour
3. Youthful Malaysia minister Syed Saddiq uses world-class debating skills to silence critics of Israel athlete ban
To Malaysia for the next story on our list involving a 26-year-old government minister by the name of Syed Saddiq. The three-time Asian debating champion became an online sensation when the youngster appeared on a BBC current affairs show debating his country’s ban on Israeli athletes. The issue stemmed from the Malaysian government’s refusal to issue travel visas to Israeli athletes wanting to compete in the World Para Swimming Championships in Sarawak in July. The International Paralympic Committee later stripped Malaysia of hosting rights, but Saddiq came out swinging in defence of his government’s decision.
2. Jeremy Lin becomes the first Asian-American to win an NBA championship as Raptors take game six
At least in terms of the highly sought after title of “SCMP Sport personality of the year”, a second spot on our top 10 list removes any doubt that Jeremy Lin came out on top. Our second biggest story of 2019 relates to his storybook triumph with the Toronto Raptors earlier in the year when they claimed a first NBA championship.
Lin has struggled in the intervening years since 2012 when “Linsanity” gripped America. In a career ravaged by injury, he has bounced itinerantly from coast to coast and franchise to franchise.
A thoroughly nice bloke by anyone’s measure, it’s no surprise that people (mostly in Asia, for obvious reasons) were delighted for the 31-year-old when he finally reached the pinnacle of a basketballer’s career by landing an NBA championship (regardless of how little he actually helped in the end). It was to be the high point of the year for the Taiwanese-American as this giddy high was soon followed by a crushing low when he failed to be picked up by any franchise during free agency, which paved the way for that headline-grabbing switch to the CBA and Beijing.
1. Kenneth To, record-breaking Hong Kong swimmer, dies aged 26 in Florida – ‘a huge loss to local sports’
It was also a year of great loss for the Hong Kong sporting community when it lost two promising young athletes, Kenneth To King-him and Poon Ching-chiu, in a matter of months.
To’s sudden death occurred while he was undertaking a training camp in the US ahead of the Fina world swimming championships.
The 26-year-old was transported to hospital after collapsing in the locker room following a session and died later that night.
There was an immediate outpouring of shock and grief for one of Hong Kong’s brightest young athletes.
