8 days have passed since Zhang Beiwen needs to raise the World Championships online. What reassures many fans is that 112 people have raised $6,718 for , , exceeding Zhang Beiwen's expected $5,500, and the online financing is still continuing.
As a lone hero in the arena, Zhang Beiwen conquers the world alone and keeps her score at around 12th in the world. She maintains this position because Zhang Beiwen wants to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics . This is her dream since she missed the 2016 Rio Olympics. Zhang Beiwen has been in the United States for 6 years, but she has always held a green card instead of a US nationality. This also prevented her from participating in top individual events such as the Olympics and the World Championships. However, this year the International Badminton Federation changed the rules of the World Championships, which gave Zhang Beiwen the opportunity to represent the United States in the World Championships for the first time, which also made many fans excited.
However, not every good news is worthy of happiness. Zhang Beiwen did not have any extra money to participate in the World Championships. After all, there is no bonus or subsidy for the World Championships, and it depends entirely on the Badminton Association or alone. Therefore, Zhang Beiwen launched online fundraising on an crowdfunding website in the United States. She said in the article: I have a lot of fees for , such as training, air tickets, hotel reservations, and competition registration; your donation , is not only of great significance to my upcoming events, but more importantly, it is to further improve my dream of the 2020 Olympics ! She needs $5,500 for this. After the news of crowdfunding of
was spread to China, it aroused many people's doubts and ridicule. Some netizens said: After playing for so many years, don’t you even have $5,500? Why are you still doing in the United States? Why not go back to China to be a coach! Some netizens said very directly: Since Zhang Beiwen plays on behalf of the United States, she should not expect to get donations in China. Of course, more rational fans say: Sports have no borders. Zhang Beiwen's love for this sport exceeds many people, and this fighting spirit is worth learning from.
In fact, we think calmly. When Zhang Beiwen defeated Sindhu and won the women's singles championship in the 2018 Indian Masters, countless Chinese fans said they burst into tears. Why? In addition to her fighting spirit and not giving up, she is also because she is Chinese . At that time, Zhang Beiwen wore an American jersey, which still represented the United States, but was still regarded as an idol by countless fans. Now, Zhang Beiwen launches crowdfunding on foreign websites in order to stop at a higher-level event, but is ridiculed by many domestic pseudo-fans, which is shocking.
Among the 112 people raising funds for it, we found that Chinese Taipei player Bai Yupo donated $200 to him on the day Zhang Beiwen released the online fundraising, and Bai Yupo was also on the list of this year's World Championships. Being able to raise money for your opponent makes many people look at Bai Yupo with admiration. This may be the spirit of an athlete. The most funding comes from a CCCFC Badminton's $995, which has greatly increased Zhang Beiwen's online funding speed.
In the crowdfunding page, many people left messages to cheer for Zhang Beiwen, and Some domestic friends are willing to provide Zhang Beiwen with free hotel arranged by the organizing committee during the World Championships. This also shows that athletes who work hard are respected and supported no matter where they are. Finally, I hope Zhang Beiwen can perform well in this competition and cheer for her Olympic dream!
