Chapter 1028: Chapter 6: Divergence
On July 16th, Gan Guoyang and the national team returned to the capital by plane.
Compared to the 1980s, the capital in 1992 had already undergone significant changes in its urban landscape.
With the country’s overall opening-up and the development of a market economy, more and more new things appeared in the daily lives of the people.
On April 23rd that year, Beijing’s first McDonald’s opened on Wangfujing Street, featuring over 700 seats and 29 cash registers. It attracted over 40,000 customers on its opening day, making it the largest McDonald’s restaurant in Asia.
At that time, the Chinese public didn’t understand that McDonald’s in America was just fast food, equivalent to China’s boxed meals.
Americans operated fast food with big capital, and foreign fast food quickly became a novelty in the lives of urban Chinese residents, and eating at McDonald’s became a trendy thing to do.
McDonald’s once invited Gan Guoyang to be their spokesperson in China, believing that with Ah Gan’s endorsement, McDonald’s influence in China would be even greater.
In America, many basketball stars are the image endorsers of McDonald’s, and McDonald’s invests in sponsoring various basketball games.
However, Gan Guoyang politely declined this lucrative contract because he didn’t want to be a "clown," and in China, he didn’t need foreign fast food to expand his fame.
In terms of brand endorsements in the country, Gan Guoyang is very cautious and selective; he knows what his image represents.
This time, returning to China to represent the men’s basketball team at the Olympics, Gan Guoyang received significant attention from the leadership.
In 1988, the China Team experienced some setbacks in Korea, only winning 5 gold medals, which was a significant step back compared to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Under the "gold medal strategy" of the time, this step back was a strategic failure, and by the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the entire sports community hoped for a comeback.
Men’s basketball naturally didn’t have the hope of winning a medal, but in team sports, the weight is very significant.
Gan Guoyang’s enormous reputation made him the central figure of the entire Chinese Olympic Delegation.
On July 17th, a group of Olympic athletes led by Gan Guoyang received the highest level of reception.
In the Great Hall, Gan Guoyang warmly shook hands with a short-statured designer, who said in a thick Sichuan accent, "Your fists are even bigger than Ali’s, consider the boxing competition, I think you have a great chance of winning a gold medal!"
Over ten years ago, in 1979, when the country was just beginning to reform and open up, the renowned boxing champion Muhammad Ali visited Beijing.
His visit marked a new direction in Sino-American relations and was a landmark event in the opening and development of Chinese sports.
By 1985, before Gan Guoyang and the NBA teams’ visit to China, Ali came to China again to participate in boxing promotion activities, and at that time, China spared no effort in pursuing openness.
After the meeting in the morning, in the afternoon, Gan Guoyang participated in an event at the Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium. In front of tens of thousands of people, he played a demonstration match, signed autographs, and took photos with fans, which lasted until the evening.
Finally, in the evening, Gan Guoyang and members of the Olympic team boarded a plane, leaving the capital, and flew thousands of miles away to Barcelona, Spain, beginning this Olympic journey.
The delegation arrived in Barcelona in batches, with the men’s basketball team being the first batch, reaching their destination on the 18th. The first problem they faced was accommodation.
The athletes were all arranged to stay in the Olympic Village, with each person receiving credentials from the Olympic Committee, wearing identification badges to freely enter and exit various places in the Olympic Village.
Gan Guoyang originally planned to stay in the dormitory with his teammates, not wanting to be treated special and hoping to be part of the team.
However, as soon as he got off the bus, Gan Guoyang realized that this wish was basically impossible to fulfill.
Before Gan Guoyang and the men’s basketball team arrived at the Olympic Village, the American basketball team had already arrived and was registering with the organizing committee.
On the scene, officials from the Olympic Committee, staff, and security personnel forgot their duties, rushing forward to catch a glimpse.
"Michael!"
"Larry! Larry!"
"Magic! Look here!"
The crowd cheered for the three superstars Bird, Johnson, and Jordan.
They were welcomed here like The Beatles.
However, when Gan Guoyang arrived with the team, it was as if John Lennon had arrived, finally completing The Beatles.
The scene became chaotic, and the registration work couldn’t continue.
Some athletes even pushed forward, seeking Gan Guoyang’s autograph.
With no other options, Gan Guoyang discussed with the delegation leader Zhang Yipei and decided not to stay in the Olympic Village.
Zhang Yipei said, "You better stay in a hotel. If you live in the Olympic Village, you probably won’t get a good night’s sleep."
Gan Guoyang said, "It’s not appropriate for me to stay in a hotel alone, why not let the entire men’s basketball team stay with me."
Zhang Yipei shook his head and said, "There can’t be so many vacant rooms in a hotel. Even your room needs to be borrowed from the US organizing committee. Moreover, considering the transportation issues, they can protect you when you come and go, but our basketball players won’t receive such treatment."
The USA Basketball Association had long decided to accommodate the Dream Team in a hotel far from the Olympic Village, booking rooms well in advance.
The NBA also dispatched a professional security team to ensure the safety and travel arrangements of the NBA players.
Because for the NBA League, these players are valuable assets, any accident during the Olympics would be a significant loss for the league.
