All along, there have been different theories about how Marshal He Long became the first director of the Sports Committee of the Central People's Government: some misunderstood Mao Zedong's original intentions, some mistakenly identified He Long as director of the Sports Committee, and some mistakenly made the full name of the Sports Committee, and so on. After participating in the writing group of "The Biography of He Long" of the General Staff headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, in order to clarify Marshal He Long's contribution to the development of new Chinese sports, the author of this article went to the archives of the State Sports Commission to consult more than 110 files, interviewed the first generation of leaders of the State Sports Commission and the first generation of famous coaches and athletes, and thus gained a comprehensive understanding of Marshal He Long's experience as director of the State Sports Commission.
Before and after the founding of New China, Chinese sports were almost deserted
The results of sports competitions in old China were blank.
In 1932, the 10th Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, USA. At that time, the All-China Sports Association decided not to participate due to financial difficulties. However, when he later heard that the puppet state of Manchukuo was preparing to send people, he suddenly assigned Song Junfu as a coach and brought Liu Changchun, a student of Northeastern University, to attend. The two arrived on a steamship ride for more than 20 days at sea, but because they did not get enough rest, Liu Changchun was eliminated in the preliminaries.
In 1936, the number of Chinese athletes participating in the Olympic Games increased. However, except for pole vaulter Fu Baolu, who won the right to the final, all other events lost in the preliminary round and did not score a single point.
In 1948, China participated in the Olympic Games again, still without any success.
In addition, China has only won some places in the Far East Sports Games, in which only four or five countries participate.
At that time, the British "Mirror" once published such a cartoon: a thin man dressed in Chinese athlete costumes, holding a large white flag painted with 5 duck eggs.
At the domestic level at that time, the national record set by the women's high jumper Zhu Tianzhen in 1933 was only 1.35 meters, and it was maintained for 15 years! This record was finally broken by Wu Shusen in 1948, but the result was only 1.40 meters. In the 1930s, the swimming performance of Yang Xiuqiong, the once-sensational "mermaid", did not meet the standards of second-class athletes in the 50s.
The sports facilities in old China were minimal and rudimentary. Until 1950, China did not have a single sports academy, a sound sports team, and no decent sports facilities and buildings.
Mao Zedong and the CPC Central Committee attached great importance to the development of sports. At the beginning of the founding of New China, the Government Council (later renamed the State Council) instructed the establishment of sports institutions in various provinces and cities. However, due to the small number of sports talents, and because some leading cadres had not yet paid due and universal attention to sports work, until the end of 1953, less than half of the sports organizations were established throughout the country.
At that time, some cadres who had been transferred to the work of sports institutions said: "There is no job in doing sports work, there is no future, they have buried their lives, and they hope to work in economic construction and national defense construction." Talking to relatives and friends about their work, they helplessly say: 'This is an organizational transfer, and I have to obey.' Not what you're willing to do'. Among the faculty, sports are considered to be 'small four doors' and are not popular. Some of the students who were admitted to the Sports Academy said: 'This is the biggest failure in my exams, and I really can't imagine that my future will be buried in the two years of the Sports Academy'. "There are also many students who are reluctant to wear the badges of sports colleges and universities and dare not write letters to their classmates" (Zhang Zhihuai, "Questions on the Safe Work of Sports Workers", in the May 1954 issue of New Sports). At that time, when the students of the Sports College left the school gate, they hid the school emblem in the pocket of their jackets, and then took the school emblem out of their pockets before returning to the college entrance. There are also some science and engineering college students with sports expertise in school, who heard that they were going to be transferred to the sports team to engage in sports work, cried bitterly, did not wear team uniforms for several days, did not eat...
As the director of the Central Sports Commission, Elder He was always expected by everyone
From July 29 to August 14, 1952, Rong Gaotang, vice chairman and secretary general of the All-China Sports Federation, led a Chinese sports delegation to Helsinki, Finland, to participate in the 15th Olympic Games. This is the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China to participate in the International Olympic Games. On August 21, the All-China Sports Federation held its second executive meeting, listened to Rong Gaotang's report on the participation of the Chinese delegation in the Olympic Games and suggestions on how to accelerate the development of China's sports industry in the future, and had a heated discussion. After the meeting, the All-China Sports Federation submitted to Liu Shaoqi, vice chairman of the Central People's Government and honorary chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and the CPC Central Committee a "Report on Participation in the Fifteenth Olympic Games", which recommended the establishment of a National Sports Affairs Committee parallel to the ministries and commissions under the Government Council; "As the chairman of the committee, it is best to ask a general like He Long to take up the post."
On September 6, 1952, Ma Sulun, chairman of the All-China Sports Federation, also proposed in his "Report on the Convening of the Second Standing Committee of the All-China Sports Federation" submitted to Premier Zhou Enlai of the State Council: A national sports affairs committee parallel to the ministry and commission should be established in the state council.
Prior to this, the sports work in New China was under the supervision of the Central Committee of the New Democratic Youth League.
Why did the All-China Sports Federation propose to the Central Committee that Marshal He Long be appointed as the director of the Sports Committee?
It's a long story. It turned out that as early as the Red Army period, when He Long was the commander of the Red Second Front, he advocated sports in the army and put forward the slogan of "training well and defeating the enemy." During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served as the commander of the 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army and founded the "Combat" Sports Task Force, which included several sports teams such as basketball and volleyball. He even set up a "sports unit" in the division headquarters, which was a pioneering undertaking. In order to strengthen the strength of the 120th Division's "fighting" basketball team, he was eclectic. I heard that there was a basketball team with considerable strength in the Anti-Japanese Base Area of Hebei Led by Lü Zhengcao, and one of the main players was liu Zhuofu (who served as vice governor of Yunnan Province and director of the State Price Bureau after liberation) participated in the 11th Olympic Games held in Berlin in 1936, and was known as the "National Hand" at that time; There is also a named Zhang Zhihuai, who graduated from the Beiping Sports College in 1937, participated in the North China Games, is a famous basketball master in North China, and is known as a "god pitcher" for his extremely accurate shooting, so he managed to transfer these two people to the headquarters of the 120th Division. At that time, Liu Zhuofu was serving as the county magistrate of Shen County, Hebei Province. Since then, He Long has been thirsty for talent, and the good story of the county mayor being transferred to play basketball has spread throughout the anti-Japanese base areas. Therefore, the "fighting" basketball team has become the strongest basketball team, playing all over the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Jinsui Border Region and Yan'an Invincibles.
After the liberation of the Great Southwest, He Long served as the third secretary of the Southwest Bureau, the commander of the Southwest Military Region, and the vice chairman of the Southwest Military and Political Committee, and Deng Xiaoping served as the first secretary of the Southwest Bureau, the political commissar of the Southwest Military Region, and the vice chairman of the Southwest Military and Political Committee. With the support of Deng Xiaoping, He Long vigorously developed sports in the Southwest Region and the Southwest Military Region, established the first professional sports team in New China——— basketball and volleyball teams in the Southwest Region, and built the Datianwan Stadium and sports academy hall in Chongqing.
He Long also brought the "combat" sports team of the 120th Division to the Southwest Military Region and expanded it into a sports task force with basketball, volleyball, football, athletics, softball and other professional teams, which is second to none in the army. During this period, He Long once transferred a pilot to the sports team as an athlete, and some people were puzzled by this, He Long said: "It is very easy to find a pilot, and it is not so easy to find an excellent athlete!"
He Long also had a pioneering move in the southwest, that is, to designate the sports team as a cadre establishment. In other words, coaches and athletes are no longer the "ball eaters" who were looked down upon before liberation, but official state cadres. Moreover, the standard of food for athletes is higher than that of the small stove of the head of the large military region - adding an egg and a ration of sugar to the standard of the small stove every day.
At this time, there was no national-level professional sports team in Beijing, and no stadiums were built. These measures of He Long are of course the envy of sports people in Beijing and all over the country. What person who wants to revitalize the sports cause of New China is unwilling to work under the leadership of Comrade He Long? Therefore, He Long's appointment as the director of the National Sports Commission is the most suitable candidate and is expected by all.
When the proposal of the All-China Sports Federation was submitted to the Central Committee, how Mao Zedong and other relevant central leading comrades studied it is still unknown, because there is no written archive to check. But it is safe to say that from Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De, to Xi Zhongxun, who was in charge of culture, education, and sports at that time, they were all extremely favorable.
Xi Zhongxun, who was then the head of the Central Propaganda Department, fought side by side with He Long in the northwest, He Long served as the commander of the Northwest Military Region, and he served as the political commissar.
In the autumn of 1952, Deng Xiaoping was transferred from the southwest to the central government and served as executive vice premier of the State Council, deputy director of the State Financial and Economic Commission, and minister of finance. He knows More deeply about He Long's enthusiasm and courage in revitalizing Southwest Sports. Therefore, it is most appropriate for Mao Zedong and other central leading comrades to entrust Deng Xiaoping, who had just come to Beijing from the southwest, to talk with He Long.
There are different versions of Deng Xiaoping's conversations with He Long, but they are all credible
The content of Deng Xiaoping's conversation with He Long has not yet been recorded in writing. When I interviewed Zhang Zhihuai and Li Menghua (who had been the director of the Youth Work Department of the Southwest Regional Youth League Committee and the director of the Military Sports Department) and many other veteran leaders among the first-generation department and department-level cadres of the State Sports Commission, I found that deng and He had different versions of the conversation, but they were all credible. Because it was all he long said on different occasions.
The first version is that before the Council prepared to adopt the recommendation of the Sports Federation to appoint He Long as the director of the National Sports Commission, Deng Xiaoping made a long-distance call to He Long in Chongqing:
"Mr. He?" I've found you a good messenger, I don't know if you're willing to go out?"
He Long: "What a good messenger, you just tell me!"
After Deng Xiaoping talked about the government council's decision to set up the Central Sports And Sports Commission, he said: "There is a report below, and it is suggested that you be asked to be the director. I consulted with the Prime Minister and felt that it was most appropriate for you to be the prime minister. ”
"What about Chairman Mao's opinion?"
"Chairman Mao is also in favor."
"Okay. Chairman Mao told me to do it, and the Central Committee told me to do it, and I will do it!"
The second version is that when He Long found that some senior cadres were uneasy about sports work, he appeared and said: "I volunteer to do sports work." I was the director of the Sports Committee, I was a general of Premier Zhou and Comrade Xiaoping, and I was ordered by Chairman Mao. ”
The third version is that He Long once said: "I have asked Chairman Mao: As the director of the Sports Committee, do you have any power (affairs) and financial power?" The Chairman said, Yes! Tune in to whomever you need; Funding, you go to Finance Minister Deng Xiaoping, he is your old acquaintance! I said, well, the central authorities give me human rights and financial rights, and I'll do it!"
On November 15, 1952, premier Zhou Enlai presided over the 19th meeting of the Central People's Government Committee at Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai to discuss the establishment of a sports committee of the Central People's Government. Zhou Enlai formally proposed: In order to strengthen the leadership of sports, it is recommended that He Long be appointed director of the Central Sports Commission and Cai Tingkai as deputy director. The appointment was unanimously adopted by the Meeting. The appointment was given on November 20, 1952.
At this time, the full name of the Sports Committee was "Sports Committee of the Central People's Government". In September 1954, the "State Council" was renamed the "State Council", and the Sports Commission was also renamed the "Sports Commission of the People's Republic of China", referred to as the "National Sports Commission".
——Excerpted from the 11th issue of "Party History", No. 11, 2013
Author: Xie Wushen
Editor: Jiang Chuting
![The descendants of the martyrs are lonely and lonely, and Mrs. Sang Zhi comes to intercede, He Long: They are all my children[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)