Conference Reports Report from the 19th Pan-Asian Conference of Sports and Physical Education 28th April–1st May 2009, Chengdu, China1 For the 19th time researchers of the physical culture of Asia met at the conference which was patronised by ‘The Asian Society of Sports and Physical Education and The International Society of Eastern Sports and Physical Education’ and also by two periodicals: ‘The Pan-Asian Journal of Sports and Physical Education’ (PAJSPE) and ‘The International Journal of Eastern Sports and Physical Education’ (IJESPE), the leading Asian journal for the social sciences. The meeting took place in Chengdu, a metropolis of over 10 million people and the capital of the Chinese province – Sichuan. The organizers and the hosts of the event were the two deans of China West Normal University: Professor Dr. Chen Ning and Professor Dr. Shen Shi-Ming. The main conference coordinator was Professor Dr. Lee Jong-Youg from South Korea, the leader of the above mentioned societies. Apart from the many guests from China, Macao, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand, there were also a few guests from Asia like Professor Magdy Abouzeid (Alexandria University, Egypt) and John E. Saunders (Australian Catholic University, Australia), Wojciech J. Cynarski (University of Rzeszow, Poland) and Jerzy Kosiewicz (University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland). Cynarski and Kosiewicz – co-workers of the aforementioned IJESPE were the only Europeans present during the conference in Chengdu. These two Poles arrived in Chengdu (through Warsaw – Stockholm – Beijing) on 27th of April. They had the opportunity to visit the nearby Sport University. The next day they were officially welcomed by the Dean of the China West Normal University, Professor Chen Ning. In the evening of the 28th of April the welcome banquet was organized in a restaurant at the Qian Xi Hotel where they could taste Sichuan cuisine. This hotel was also the centre of the conference deliberations. On 19th of April at 8:30 a.m. the Opening Ceremony of the conference took place. All seventy participants were welcomed by the organizers and representatives of the government. The first morning session was presided over by Professor Saunders and the first introductory lecture was delivered by Professor J. Kosiewicz. A former vicepresident of EASS and the president of the International Society for the Social Science of Sport (ISSSS) presented a draft issue of ‘The Sociology of Sport in Europe: – Historical and Research Perspective’. He highlighted the main achievements and the development of the European sociology of sport. The next papers in the session were delivered by Professor Tian Yu Pu (China), Professor Daljeet Singh (India), Professor Ki Cheon Lee (South Korea), Professor Chen Ning (China), Professor Satoshi Shimizu (Japan) and Professor Shu Weiping (China). In this round one of the most interesting 1 The work was carried out in relation with statutory activities, the Faculty of Physical Education URWWF/S/09 Rzeszow University financed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. 90 Conference Reports sociological papers was by Singh: “Media Portrayals of Male and Female Athletes”, of Shimizu: “The 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Politics in East Asia” and Chen Ning’s “Research in the Integrated Mode Constructing of Sports and Education in a Post-Era of Beijing Olympics”. The second Plenary Session was dedicated to the sporting traditions of Asia (from the perspective of different areas) from cultural anthropology to sport pedagogy. Among 16 works presented, the following deserve special attention: 1. “A Comparative Perspective on the Definition of Traditional Sports and Games” – the analytical results of Jong Y. Lee and results of his Traditional Sports Academy; 2. “Social Research of Far-Eastern Martial Arts in Poland” – by W. J. Cynarski – the assessment of Polish research achievements in the field of social and cultural interpretation of martial arts; 3. “The Practice of Taichi and its Impact: The Angeles City Experience” – by Joel G. Tubera from the Philippines (regarding taiji quan). Presented in the afternoon session was a set of works concerning the biotechnical theory of sport, kinesiology and use of information technology. The last paper by Professor Xiao-Zheng entitled “The Comparison Between the East and West on the Study of Leisure” was very interesting and original. The author stated that the Chinese are less lazy than Westerners because they consider laziness as an offence against society, which is why they train solidly for all sports. In the evening the international editorial meeting of PAJSPE and IJESPE took place which also constituted the Scientific Committee of the Conference. Professor Lee, the leader of the meeting, said that the next conference and 20th Pan-Asian Congress would take place in Taipei in October 2009. On the 30th of April a visit was planned to China West Normal University in Nanchong City and to the museum residence of the former Chinese political leader Deng Xiao Ping in Guang’an in the province of Sichuan. All participants had a chance to watch a biographical film about Deng Xiao Ping, the author of the economic success of China. They also saw the old town of Chengdu and had a chance to buy some souvenirs, for example, cuddly pandas, the animal for which the province is famous – next to Chengdu there is an unique reserve of large pandas. The conference was well organized. It was a success for both participants and hosts. This demonstrates that sport sciences in Asia have been developing dynamically and that the scientific communities are becoming better organized and integrated. The invitation of the representatives of humanistic sport from Poland was at the expense of the organizers; the introductory paper of Professor Kosiewicz and the paper about the study of martial arts in the Rzeszow centre were received with great interest. The proposition of further scientific cooperation is evidence of the recognition of the Polish participants. Wojciech J. Cynarski Faculty of Physical Education, University of Rzeszów, Poland