【新唐人2012年3月15日讯】李娜星期一（12日）在WTA皇冠级赛事“巴黎银行公开赛”第三轮上击败郑洁。在赛后的新闻发布会上，李娜一句“参加比赛并不是为了国家”，引发了媒体和网民的关注。
据国内媒体报导，在印第安纳威尔斯的记者发布会上，有外国记者问李娜，比起因为和中国篮协关系紧密而发言谨慎的姚明，李娜显得非常坦承，为什么她能这样畅所欲言呢？
李娜回答说，可能很多人会认为她或许是下一个姚明，不过对她来说，自己只不过是一个网球运动员，打球不是为了国家，而只是为了尽力去做好自己的这份工作。
李娜坦言，讲真话会令很多人恨她，但没有关系，自己很开心。她还说，撒谎一次，就要用十倍的努力去掩盖那个谎言，而自己不想那么去做。
李娜的“比赛不为国家”传回国后立刻成为民众议论的热点。支持李娜的网民在多个互联网平台上为她的坦率叫好。
广西的网络作家荆楚表示，国内体育界虚伪的东西太多，他对李娜的说真话表示赞赏。
荆楚：“她这样一讲真话大家都感到不可思议了，他(们)已经生活在谎言之中习惯了，讲那些大而无当的话，那些气壮如牛的话，而认为大家听的是习惯的。李娜如果是讲了真话，大家就感到不习惯了。”
不过中共媒体的报导却不同调。《中新网》引用国家体育总局网球运动管理中心主任孙晋芳略带不满的话说，李娜是中国人，在国际赛场上当然是代表中国人去打球。
荆楚：“在中国这个社会上如果是说真话，做事诚实啊，你会寸步难行。大家都带着个假面具，说着言不由衷的假话。本来这个打球呢，就是一个娱乐项目，动不动要为国争光啊什么的，选手比赛动不动就政治宣誓，其实就是一个虚伪。”
《成都商报》体育部主任许绍连在微博中这样写道：“李娜没说错，她打球本来就是为了自己，跟几乎每个人工作都是为了自己是一个道理。错在她法网夺冠后很多人一厢情愿的认为她是为国争光，又给她升官、又给她塑像，现在挨耳光了吧？！”
遍数世界体坛，几乎没有哪个国家的运动员像中国运动员这样，动不动就要把“感谢国家”、“感谢人民”挂在嘴边，甚至一不小心弄错了“感谢父母”与“感谢国家”的顺序，都要被人拿出来说道。 2010年，年仅18岁的中国速滑选手周洋，在温哥华冬季奥运会上获得金牌之后，立即感谢父母的养育和辛勤劳动，被中国国家体育总局官员批评没有首先感谢国家。后来，周洋在接受电视台采访时首先感谢国家，感谢父母的话被排到了第五位。
事实上，李娜的“参加比赛不代表国家”只是基于一个简单的事实，她在2008年奥运会后正式退出国家队“单飞”，成为一名真正意义上的职业球员。从此网球只是她心爱的运动项目，而不是为中共贴金的手段。
新唐人记者易如、尚燕、郭敬报导。
Tennis Star Li Na, “Not Here for the Country”
On March 12th, Li Na (tennis star) defeated Zheng Hao
in the third round at the WTA Paris Indoor Open match.
In a press conference after the match, Li said, “I’m not here
for the country,” triggering attention from media and netizens.
Media in China reported that in a press conference in
Indian Wells, a reporter compared Li Na to basketball star
Yao Ming, who has a close relationship with the Chinese
Basketball Association and speaks with caution around the press.
The reporter told Li that she seems very relaxed, and asked
how she speaks as freely as she does.
Li replied, “Many people think, ‘Oh, maybe I’m the next
Yao Ming or something.’”
Li said she is only a tennis athlete, she’s not here for the
country, but just to do her job and trying her best.
Li said frankly that many people would hate her saying
real things, but that it doesn’t matter because she is happy.
She added that if you lied one time you had to use 10 times
the effort to recover from that one lie, so she didn’t want to do that.
Li’s “not here for the country” immediately
triggered controversy.
Netizens showed support in many online forums, praising
her words from the heart.
A writer in Guangxi, Jing Chu, said that there’s too much
hypocrisy in China’s sports, and expressed support for Li’s honesty.
Jing Chu (writer), “Many people feel her honesty is incredible.
Many are accustomed to living in an environment of lies,
in which people overstate and exaggerate.
Once hearing Li talk from her heart, they feel uncomfortable.”
However, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) media
reported in a different tune.
Chinanews.com quoted comments from Sun Jifang,
a manager of the State Sport Bureau.
Sun said that since Li Na is Chinese, of course she
represented China while playing the international match.
Jing Chu (writer), “Living in China, if you speak from the
heart and speak honesty, you will be in a difficult situation.
Everyone lives with a mask and tells lies.
Playing tennis is just entertainment, the CCP forcefully links
itself with the name of winning honour for the country,
or has players take a political oath, that is hypocritical.”
Xu Shaolian, a director in the sports department of Chengdu
Business Daily newspaper, commented in his microblog,
“Li Na didn’t say anything wrong, playing tennis is for herself.
Xu said it is the same reason everyone goes to work for himself.
After Li won the championship match at the French Open,
the CCP said she won the glory for the country, promoted her,
made a statue of her, but in the end it seems they are getting
a slap in the face from Li.”
In the sports world it’s rare to find athletes whose behaviours
are the same as in China where they always chanting “thanks to the country, thanks to the people.”
If a player accidentally mixes up the order, he will be criticised.
For example, in 2010, an 18-year-old speed skater, Zhou Yang,
won the championship at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
She first thanked her parents, but she was criticised by officials
of the State Sports Bureau because she didn’t thank the country first.
Later in a TV interview, she first thanked the country and
her parents were put in the fifth spot on her thank you list.
Li’s “not here for the country” is based on a simple fact.
She officially quit the national team after the 2008 Olympic Games to go pro.
Tennis is her beloved sport, and winning is not for the face
of the CCP.
