4 . Table tennis may not seem a reasonable option for someone with no arms — but Ibrahim Hamadtou doesn't believe in limits. The 48-year-old Egyptian Paralympian breaks the barrier by holding the paddle (球拍) in his mouth and using his right foot to serve the ball.

Hamadtou, who lost his arms in a train accident at the age of ten, was drawn to table tennis after being challenged by a friend. "I was once watching a match between two of my friends," Hamadtou explains. "They disagreed on a point, When I counted the point in favor of one of them, the other player told me, 'Mind your own business as you will never be able to play.' It was that statement that fired me up to decide to play table tennis."

It took Hamadtou three years to master the sport. He says the biggest challenge was figuring out the best way to control his body. "I was trying first to use the bat under the arm, and I also tried using other things, which weren't working so well. Finally, I tried using my mouth. It took me nearly a year of practice to get used to holding the paddle with my mouth and making the serve. With practice and playing regularly, this skill was improved."

The Egyptian's incredible talent came to light in 2014 when he was awarded the best Arab Athlete of the year. He won a silver medal at the 2016 African Championships, qualified for his first Paralympics in 2016 at 43, and then again for the 2020 Tokyo Games at 48.

The inspiring athlete says, "The disability is not in arms or legs but to give up in whatever you would like to do."

5 . With more and more kids picking up bats and gloves, efforts to build a “baseball ecosystem” in China continue to produce impressive results. And with Major League Baseball a key contributor to the drive, Chinese kids are learning from the very best in the business.

“The baseball environment has changed greatly since MLB entered the Chinese market. When we first came to China in 2007, the baseball population in the country was very limited.” said Tony Qi, managing director of MLB China. “But in 2019, the active baseball population had reached over 20 million. When we first organized the youth baseball match in five Chinese cities in 2008, each city had only one age-group to take part. But this year we have 20 cities, and in some cities we have competitions for five age groups.”

Around 400 teams have taken part in the MLB China Cup, a nationwide youth competition designed to encourage kids to take up baseball. During one recent season in Beijing, there were about 100 teams that wanted to take part in the MLB Cup. So, MLB, the Chinese Baseball Association and local baseball organizations are all working together for a brighter Chinese baseball future.

Audiences have also been attracted by the 2020 short film Tough Out, which tells the lives of a group of Chinese teenagers whose lives are changed through baseball. “In the short film, the kids build a new home in their baseball team, together with their coaches in a Beijing suburb (郊区),” said Qi. “The notion (观念) of home is very important in baseball culture. Through baseball, these kids gained home, friendship and confidence. They also gained the courage to fight against the hard situations they found themselves in. We’re planning to produce more content like this to make baseball culture popular.

6 . The Biggest Stadiums in the World

People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.

These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan’s desire for a good view and comfortable seat — tend to keep stadium capacities (容量) slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.

For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.

All these stadiums are still functional, still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.

·Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea. Capacity: 150,000. Opened: May 1,1989.

·Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107,601. Opened: October 1, 1927.

·Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity: 106,572. Opened: September 17, 1960.

·Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity: 104,944. Opened: October 7,1922.

·Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102,512. Opened: September 24, 1927.

7 . It’s my dream. I’m nine years old now, but have been _______ competitively since I was six. I love it, because it makes me feel good. I have a lot of _______   to use up and I can do it by just moving my legs.

One recent Sunday morning, my mum drove me to a 5km race in Minnesota.

The starting line was _______   because there was also a 10km race. That morning, I was running confidently and feeling _______   . At one point, I came to a _______ in the course. A woman who was directing us _______ the route I thought I was meant to take and told me to go the other way. I was confused, but I had to follow her _______.

After a while I saw route directions for a 10km race. I was worried, thinking I was _______, but had to keep going. My body started to get _______. I said to myself, “You’re almost there. Just keep __________.”

__________ I saw the finish line. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know I was running a 10km and I had __________ it. I didn’t do this on purpose. It was a __________. I felt happy and proud. It was my first time running such a(n) __________.

It has made me want to do more 10km races. I hope my story __________ other people to run, too.

8 . If you're looking for a new sport to have a go at, put skateboarding at the top of your list.     1    All you need is a skateboard, some protection and somewhere to skate.

Choosing a board is straightforward — you can easily find inexpensive boards, but your best bet is to visit your local skate shop, where the staff can give you advice on the right board for your height and age. You will also need protection — a helmet, elbow, knee and wrist pads (软垫)are essential when you take fall.     2    

Once you have your board and protective equipment, you are ready to roll. It's a good idea to begin on grass or a patch of carpet, because that will stop the board's wheels from moving while you learn how to balance. Stand on the board with your feet over its bolts (闩).     3     Aim for a relaxed position with your knees bent and head facing in your direction of travel. Then try pushing yourself along on a patch of smooth concrete (混凝土). You will quickly learn which foot feels more comfortable at the front of the board and, before you know it, you will be rolling along with a huge smile on your face.

    4    You will meet many new friends at your local skate park or ramps (坡道), all of whom will be eager to welcome and help a beginner. With your friends you can spend hours perfecting tricks and attempting impressive jumps as you work on your technique and style.     5     However, it's worth it for the excitement of knowing you try to pull off a trick and, eventually, you achieve it.