Beijing, China - Peoples Republic of
CHINESE STUDENTS PRACTISE AT A SOCCER SCHOOL NEAR BEIJING.
Chinese soccer students practise at the BTV Sangao Soccer School on the
outskirts of Beijing, July 9, 2002. The soccer boarding school, which
accomodates more than 180 students, is one of more than 80 private
soccer schools which have sprung up nationwide following the soccer
fever which swept the nation in the 1990s. China is currently
overhauling its soccer industry after its first ever appearance in the
World Cup Finals, where it lost all three games, conceding nine goals
and scoring none. REUTERS/Andrew Wong
ASW/JD