Gao
—  Urban commune and town  —
La Dune Rose and Gao city as seen from the top of the Tomb of Askia.
Gao Location within Mali
Coordinates: 16°16′N 0°03′W / 16.267°N 0.05°W / 16.267; -0.05
Country	Mali (de jure)  Azawad (de facto)
Region	Gao
Cercle	Gao Cercle
Elevation	226 m (744 ft)
Population (2009)[1]
• Total	86,633
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)

Gao (pronounced /goʊ/) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, lying 320 km (200 mi) east-southeast of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it had a population of 86,633 in 2009.

For much of its history Gao was an important commercial centre involved in the trans-Saharan trade. External Arabic sources state that by the 9th century Gao was already an important regional power, and by the end of the 10th century, the local ruler was a Muslim. Towards the end of the 13th century, Gao lost its independence and became part of the Mali Empire, but in first half of the 15th century, the town regained its independence and with the conquests of Sonni Ali (ruled 1464–1492) Gao became the capital of the Songhai Empire. The Empire collapsed after the Moroccan invasion in 1591 and the invaders chose to make Timbuktu their stronghold. By the time of Heinrich Barth's visit in 1854, Gao had declined to become a impoverished village with 300 huts constructed from matting. By 2009, it had a population of 86633.

On 31 March 2012, Gao was captured from Malian government forces by National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and Ancar Dine rebels. After the additional captures of Kidal and Timbuktu, on 6 April, the MNLA declared the region independent of Mali as the nation of Azawad^[2] and named Gao its capital.^[3]

Geography[link]

Location[link]

Gao is located on the eastern bank of the Niger River at the junction with the Tilemsi Valley. The sprawling town is the largest in eastern Mali. It is connected to the capital, Bamako at the western end of Mali, by 1200 km of good paved road. In 2006 the Wabaria bridge was inaugurated to replace the ferry service across the Niger.^[4] The bridge was constructed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation and financed by the Islamic Development Bank and the Malian government.

The town is strategically placed with road links (unpaved) to the desert Kidal Region to the north and to Niamey, the capital of Niger, to the south. The road to the south runs along the left bank of the river. The town of Ansongo is 103 km from Gao. The border with Niger is just south of the village of Labbezanga, a distance of 204 km.

There are also seasonal ferry services on the Niger River. A service between Gao and Koulikoro, a distance of 1380 km, is managed by the Compagnie Malienne de Navigation (COMANAV). It usually operates from the end of July, after the annual rains when there is sufficient water in the river, until mid November.^[5] Smaller boats are able to operate for a longer season between Bourem and Ansongo.

The town is expanding rapidly. In the 1998 census the population of the urban commune was 52,201. By the census in 2009 this had increased to 86,633, a 4.7% annual growth rate.^[1] For administrative purposes, the commune is divided into nine quartiers: Gadeye, Farandjiré, Aljanabanbia, Djoulabougou, Saneye, Sosso Koïra, Boulgoundjé, Château and Djidara.^[6] The urban commune is bounded to the north by the commune of Soni Ali Ber, to the east by the commune of Anchawadi and to the south and west by the commune of Gounzoureye.

Climate[link]

The climate is hot and dry with the only rainfall occurring between June and September. August is normally the wettest month. The average annual rainfall is only 220 mm but there are large year to year variations. May is the hottest month with an average maximum temperature of 43 °C. December and January are the coolest months with minimum temperatures of 15 °C. From October to March during the dry period the north-easterly Harmattan wind blows from the Sahara. When it blows strongly the dust-laden wind reduces visibility and creates a persistent haze.

With the low rainfall the vegetation away from the river is sparse and consists mainly of various species of Acacia (Acacia raddiana, Acacia nilotica, Acacia ehrenbergiana) and Balanites aegyptiaca. The herbaceous plants are dominated by Cenchrus biflorus and Panicum laetum.^[8]

Annual flood of the Niger River[link]

Almost all the local agriculture depends on river water for irrigation. The annual flood of the Niger River is a result of the heavy rainfall in the headwaters of the Niger and Bani rivers in Guinea and the northern Ivory Coast. The rainfall in the headwater areas peaks in August but the flood water takes time to pass down the river system, through the Inner Niger Delta region and arrive at Gao. At Koulikoro the flood peaks in September,^[9] while in Gao the flood lasts longer and reaches a maximum in December.^[10] There is a large year to year variation in the extent of the flooding. The existing and proposed dams upstream of Gao reduce the overall flow of the river and could potentially have a large effect on the local agriculture.^[11] When in flood the river is 4 km wide at Gao but during the dry season a number of islands appear in the river. There is very little flow, only 5% of the maximum, in June and July.

History[link]

The history of the Gao Empire precedes that of the Songhay Empire in the region of the Middle Niger. Both empires had the town of Gao as their capital. Apart from some Arabic epitaphs on tombstones discovered in 1939 at the cemetery of Gao-Saney (6 km to the east of the city)^[12] there are no surviving indigenous written records that date from before the middle of the 17th century.^[13] Our knowledge of the early history of the town relies on the writings of external Arabic geographers living in Morocco, Egypt and Andalusia, most of whom never visited the region. These authors referred to the town as Kawkaw or Kuku. The two key 17th century chronicles, the Tarikh al-Sudan and the Tarikh al-fattash, provide information on the town at the time of the Songhay Empire but they contain relatively little on the social and economic history.^[14] The chronicles do not, in general, acknowledge their sources.^[15] Their accounts for the earlier periods are almost certainly based on oral tradition and for events before the second half of the 15th century they are likely to be less reliable. For these earlier periods the two chronicles sometimes provide conflicting information.

The earliest mention of Gao is by al-Khwārizmī who wrote in the first half of the 9th century.^[16] In the 9th century Gao was already an important regional power. Al-Yaqubi wrote in his Tarikh in around 872:

There is the kingdom of the Kawkaw, which is the greatest of the realms of the Sūdān, the most important and most powerful. All the kingdoms obey its king. Al-Kawkaw is the name of the town. Besides this there are a number of kingdoms of which the rulers pay allegiance to him and acknowledge his sovereignty, although they are kings in their own lands.^[17]

Ibn al-Faqih (writing c. 903) mentions a caravan route from Egypt to ancient Ghana via Kawkaw,^[18] but Ibn Hawqal (writing c. 988) states that the old route from Egypt to the Sudan was abandoned in the reign of the Egyptian ruler Ibn Tulun (ruled 868–884) as some of the caravans were attacked by bandits while others were overwhelmed by the wind-blown sand.^[19] The more direct route was replaced by one that went to Sijilmasa before heading south across the Sahara.

In the 10th century Gao is already Muslim and is described as consisting of two separate towns. Al-Muhallabi, who died in 990, wrote in a lost work quoted in the biographical dictionary compiled by Yaqut:

Their king pretends before his subject to be a Muslim and most of them pretend to be Muslims too. He has a town on the Nile [Niger], on the eastern bank, which is called Sarnāh, where there are markets and trading houses and to which there is continuous traffic from all parts. He has another town to the west of the Nile [Niger] where he and his men and those who have his confidence live. There is a mosque there where he prays but the communal prayer ground is between the two towns.^[20]

Tomb of Askia *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country	Mali
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, iv
Reference	1139
Region **	Africa
Inscription history
Inscription	2004 (28th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

The archaeological evidence suggests that there were two settlements on the eastern bank of the Niger:^[21] Gao Ancien situated within the modern town, to the east of the Tomb of Askia, and the archaeological site of Gao-Saney (Sané in French) situated around 4 km to the east. The bed of the Wadi Gangaber passes to the south of the Gao-Saney occupation mound (tell) but to the north of Gao Ancien. The imported pottery and glass recovered from Gao-Saney suggest that the site was occupied between the 10th and 13th centuries. It is possible that Gao-Saney corresponds to Sarnāh of al-Muhallabi.^[22] Al-Bakri writing in 1068 also records the existence of two towns,^[23] but al-Idrisi writing in around 1154 does not.^[24] Both al-Muhallabi (see quote above) and al-Bakri^[25] situate Gao on the west (or right bank) of the Niger. The 17th century Tarikh al-fattash also states that in the 10th century Gao was situated on the Gourma side (i.e. the west bank) of the river.^[26] A large sand dune, La Dune Rose, lies on the west bank opposite Gao, but at Koima, on the edge of the dune at a site 4 km north of Gao, surface deposits indicate a pre 9th century settlement. This could be the west bank Gao mentioned by 10th and 11th century authors. The site has not been excavated.^[27]

Al-Sadi in his Tarikh al-Sudan gives a slightly later date for the introduction of Islam. He lists 32 rulers of the Zuwa dynasty and states that in 1009–1010 A.D. the 15th ruler, Zuwa Kusoy, was the first to convert to Islam.^[28] He does not actually specify where they lived except for the legendary founder of the dynasty, Zuwa Alayman who he claims came from the Yemen to Kukiya.^[29][30]

Towards the end of the 13th century Gao lost its independence and became part of the expanding Mali Empire.^[31] What happened to the Zuwa rulers is not recorded.^[32] Ibn Battuta visited Gao in 1353 when the town formed part of the Mali Empire. He arrived by boat from Timbuktu on his return journey from visiting the capital of the Empire:

Then I travelled to the town of Kawkaw, which is a great town on the Nīl [Niger], one of the finest, biggest, and most fertile cities of the Sūdān. There is much rice there, and milk, and chickens, and fish, and the cucumber, which has no like. Its people conduct their buying and selling with cowries, like the people of Mālī.^[33]

After staying a month in the town, Ibn Battuta left with a caravan for Takedda and from there headed north back across the Sahara to an oasis in Tuat with a large caravan that included 600 slave girls.

Sometime in the 14th century, Ali Kulun, the first ruler of the Sunni dynasty, rebelled against the Malian hegemony but the Malians were able to regain control.^[34][35] It was not until the first half of the 15th century that Sunni Sulayman Dama was able to throw off the Malian yoke. His successor, Sunni Ali Ber (1464–1492), greatly expanded the territory under Songhay control and established the Songhay Empire. He made Gao his capital.

Leo Africanus visited Gao sometime between 1506 and 1510 when the town was ruled by Askiya Muhammad I, the first ruler of the Askiya dynasty. He observed that the large town lacked a surrounding wall and was full of rich merchants.

The town is very civilized compared to Timbuktu. Bread and meat are abundant, though you cannot find wine or fruits. Actually, melons, cucumbers, and excellent squash are plentiful, and there are enormous quantities of rice. There are many sweet water wells. There is a square where on market days huge numbers of slaves are sold, both male and female. A young girl of fifteen is worth about six ducats, and a young man almost as much; small children are worth about half as much as grown slaves.^[36]

Towards the end of the 16th century, Gao controlled an empire that extended for over 1,4000 km².^[37] The Tarikh al-fattash reports that a survey conducted during the reign of Askiya Al-Hajj (1582–1586) found that there were 7,626 houses without counting the huts made of straw.^[38] Assuming each house was occupied by an average of 6 people, this would imply a population of around 45,000.

The Moroccan invasion of 1591 led to the collapse of the Songhay Empire. The invaders chose to make Timbuktu their stronghold.

The German explorer Heinrich Barth visited Gao in 1854 on his return journey from Timbuktu. He found a village of about 300 huts constructed of matting and grouped in clusters.^[39] The inhabitants were very poor and had few boats as they lacked wood for their construction. The site of the ancient town was overgrown with Capparis decidua bushes.^[40]

The town remained small until French rule was imposed in the early twentieth century, expanding the port and establishing a colonial base.^{[citation needed]}

On 31 March 2012, one day after the capture of Kidal, Malian military forces retreated from Gao's military bases, allowing it to be occupied by Tuareg rebellion member groups MNLA and Ancar Dine.^[41] Timbuktu was captured the following day.^[42] On 6 April, the MNLA declared the region independent of Mali as the nation of Azawad.^[43]

Culture[link]

The population of Gao mostly speak Songhay but includes many ethnicities, including the Bozo (traditionally nomadic river dwellers), Fulfulde/Fulani cattle keepers, and Tuareg nomads, as well as Bambara peoples from western Mali.

The seventh Festival des arts et cultures songhay was celebrated in February 2007 at Gao, reflecting the city's importance as a Songhay cultural capital.^[44]

Sites[link]

Attractions in Gao include the original fourteenth century Gao Mosque, the Askia Tomb (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) built in 1495 and incorporating another mosque, a museum devoted to the Sahel, markets including a night market, and La Dune Rose, a sand dune named for its appearance at dawn and nightfall.

After the 2012 rebellion forced the Malian Army out of Gao and the state of Azawad was proclaimed, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad took control of the governor's building, flying the flag of Azawad over it and rechristening it the Palace of Azawad.^[45]

Twin Cities[link]

Gao is twinned with Thionville, France and Berkeley, California, USA.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Barth, Heinrich (1859), Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa: Being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s government, in the years 1849–1855 (Volume 3), New York: Harper & Brothers, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=l74ZAAAAYAAJ .
• Hunwick, John (1994), "Gao and the Almoravids revisited: ethnicity, political change and the limits of interpretation", Journal of African History 35: 251–273, JSTOR 183219 .
• Hunwick, John O. (2003), Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan down to 1613 and other contemporary documents, Leiden: Brill, ISBN 0585-6914 . First published in 1999 as ISBN 90-04-11207-3.
• Insoll, Timothy (1997), "Iron age Gao: an archaeological contribution", Journal of African History 38: 1–30, JSTOR 182944, http://www.insoll.org/Iron%20Age%20Gao.pdf .
• Kâti, Mahmoûd Kâti ben el-Hâdj el-Motaouakkel (1913) (in French), Tarikh el-fettach ou Chronique du chercheur, pour servir à l'histoire des villes, des armées et des principaux personnages du Tekrour, Houdas, O., Delafosse, M. ed. and trans., Paris: Ernest Leroux, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5439466q . Also available from Aluka but requires subscription.
• Lange, Dierk (1991), "Les rois de Gao-Sané et les Almoravides" (in French), Journal of African History 32: 251–275, JSTOR 182617 .
• Lange, Dierk (1994), "From Mande to Songhay: Towards a political and ethnic history of medieval Gao", Journal of African History 35: 275–301, JSTOR 183220 .
• Levtzion, Nehemia (1973), Ancient Ghana and Mali, London: Methuen, ISBN 0-8419-0431-6 .
• Levtzion, Nehemia; Hopkins, John F.P., eds. (2000), Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West Africa, New York, NY: Marcus Weiner Press, ISBN 1-55876-241-8 . First published in 1981 by Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-22422-5.
• Moraes Farias, Paulo F. de (1990), "The oldest extant writing of West Africa: medieval epigraphs from Essuk, Saney, and Egef-n-Tawaqqast (Mali)", Journal des Africanistes 60: 65–113, http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/jafr_0399-0346_1990_num_60_2_2452 . Link is to a scan on the Persée database that omits some photographs of the epigraphs.
• Sauvaget, J. (1950), "Les épitaphes royales de Gao", Bulletin de l'Ifan XII (2): 418–440 . A reprint of (1949), Al-Andalus XIV: I, 123–141.

See also[link]

• List of cities in Mali

Further reading[link]

• Cornevin, R. (1991), "Gao", Encyclopaedia of Islam Volume 2 (2nd ed.), Leiden: Brill, pp. 976–978, ISBN 90-04-07026-5, http://www.archive.org/stream/EncyclopediaofIslam2/Vol.2c-g#page/n1017/mode/1up . First published in 1965.
• Mauny, Raymond (1951), "Notes d'archéologie au sujet de Gao" (in French), Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire (B) 13: 837–852 .
• Moraes Farias, P.F. de (2003), Arabic medieval inscriptions from the Republic of Mali : Epigraphy, chronicles and Songhay-Tuareg history, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-726222-8 .

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gao

• Tomb of Askia, UNESCO World Heritage, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1139 .

Coordinates: 16°16′N 0°03′W / 16.267°N 0.05°W / 16.267; -0.05

v t e Niger River Countries Guinea Mali Niger Benin Nigeria Sections Source of the Niger Middle Niger Inner Niger Delta Lower Niger Niger Delta Tributaries (list) and distributaries Tinkisso River Sankarani River Milo River Bani River Mekrou River Alibori River Sola River Sokoto River Sota River Kaduna River Benue River Anambra River Forcados River Nun River Cities Siguiri Bamako Segou Mopti Timbuktu Gao Niamey Lokoja Onitsha Lakes Kainji Lake Lac Debo Dams and bridges King Fahd Bridge Martyrs Bridge Markala Dam Gao Bridge Kennedy Bridge Kainji Dam River Niger Bridge (Onitsha) Protected Areas Niger Basin Authority National Park of Upper Niger W National Park Kainji National Park

v t e Communes and towns of the Gao Region Capital:Gao Ansongo Cercle Ansongo (Ansongo) Bara (Bara) Bourra (Tassiga) Ouattagouna (Ouattagouna) Talataye (Talataye) Tessit (Tessit) Tin-Hama (Tin-Hama) 180px Bourem Cercle Bourem (Bourem Foghas) Bamba (Bamba) Taboye (Taboye) Tarkint (Tarkint) Temera (Temera) Gao Cercle Gao (Gao) Anchawadi (Djebock) Gabero (Haoussa Foulane) Gounzoureye (Wabaria) N'Tillit (N'Tillit) Sony Aliber (Forgo Sourhai) Tilemsi (Tine Aouker) Ménaka Cercle Ménaka (Ménaka) Alata (Alata) Andéramboukane (Andéramboukane) Inekar (Inekar) Tidermene (Tidermene)

Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Personal information
Nationality	Germany
Residence	Düsseldorf, Germany Hamelin, Germany
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Highest ranking	10 (December 2011)[1]
Club	GAZPROM Fakel Orenburg (Russia)[2]
Born	(1988-09-02) September 2, 1988 (age 23) Kiev, Ukraine
Height	1.86 m (6.1 ft)[3]
Weight	74 kg (160 lb)[3]
Medal record Men's table tennis Competitor for  Germany Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing Team World Championships Silver 2012 Dortmund Team Silver 2010 Moscow Team World Cup Bronze 2011 Magdeburg Team Bronze 2009 Linz Team European Championships Gold 2011 Gdansk-Sopot Team Gold 2010 Ostrava Team Gold 2009 Stuttgart Team Gold 2008 Saint-Petersburg Team Bronze 2007 Belgrade Singles Gold 2007 Belgrade Team Europe Top 12 Gold 2012 Villeurbanne Singles ITTF World Tour Gold 2011 Korea Open Singles Gold 2011 Brazil Open Singles Gold 2010 India Open Singles Silver 2010 Polish Open Singles Silver 2009 Danish Open Singles Gold 2007 Chinese Taipei Open Doubles

Dimitrij Ovtcharov (born September 2, 1988 in Kiev) is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player.^[3] As of December 2011, he is ranked #10 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).^[1]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ovtcharov won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Christian Süß.^[4][5] He used a special technique in his serves, which was later picked by TIME as one of the top 50 innovations of 2008.^[6]

On September 22, 2010 Ovtcharov had been suspended by the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) due to a positive A-sample test for Clenbuterol that may be used as performance-enhancing substance.^[7] Ovtcharov himself denied the doping accusation and requested a B-sample analysis which still tested positive.^[8][9] After hearings and further investigations, the hair sample voluntarily offered by Ovtcharov showed no evidence of clenbuterol and its abuse. DTTB later unanimously decided to abolish the suspension on October 15, 2010.^[10] The decision was endorsed by ITTF.^[11]

Equipement[link]

Dimitrij Ovtcharov is a right-handed, his playing style is shakehand grip. His blade is Ovtcharov Senso V1 with Tenergy 05 rubbers on both sides.

Career records[link]

Singles (as of December 6, 2011)^[12]

• Olympics: round of 16 (2008).^[5]
• World Championships: round of 16 (2009, 11).
• World Cup appearances: 4. Record: 5–8th (2008, 09, 10, 11).
• Pro Tour winner (3): 2010 India Open. 2011 Brazil Open. 2011 Korea Open
  Runner-up (2): 2009 Danish Open. 2010 Polish Open.
• Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 5. Record: round of 16 (2007-2011).
• European Championships: SF (2007).
• Europe Top-12: Winner (2012).

Men's Doubles

• World Championships: round of 16 (2009).
• Pro Tour winner (1): 2007 Chinese Taipei Open.
• Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 1. Record: QF (2007).

Mixed Doubles

• World Championships: round of 64 (2007).

Team

• Olympics: 2nd (2008).
• World Championships: 2nd (2010).
• World Team Cup: 3rd (2009, 11).
• European Championships: 1st (2007-2011).

References[link]

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Personal information
Nationality	Singapore
Playing style	Right-handed, shakehand grip
Highest ranking	9 (April 2008)[1]
Born	(1982-10-11) October 11, 1982 (age 29)[2] Hebei, China
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	81 kg (180 lb; 12.8 st)

Gao Ning (simplified Chinese: 高宁; traditional Chinese: 高寧; pinyin: Gāo Níng; born October 11, 1982 in Hebei, China) is a male Table Tennis player from Singapore.^[2] He is considered Singapore's best male player with a world ranking of 16 as of May, 2011.^[1] He was first in men's singles at the 2007 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.^[3]

He won a gold medal as a team member plus silver medals in the men's singles and men's doubles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Gao Ning cried after his singles match defeat to an opponent in the Beijing 2008 Olympics as no coach was available to guide him during the match. His coach was sick before the match. The scene of him in tears was telecast on local TV, causing the head coach of the Singapore table tennis team to lose his job.

Career records[link]

Singles (as of August 15, 2010)^[4]

• Olympics: round of 32 (2008).^[5]
• World Championships: round of 16 (2007).
• World Cup appearances: 2. Record: 5-8th (2007).
• Pro Tour winner (1): India Open 2007.
  Runner-up (1): Brazil Open 2007.
• Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 1. Record: round of 16 (2007).
• Asian Games: round of 16 (2006).
• Asian Championships: round of 16 (2007, 09).
• Asian Cup: 1st (2007); 2nd (2010); 3rd (2008).

Men's Doubles

• World Championships: QF (2009).
• Pro Tour winner (4): India, Austrian Open 2007; Chile Open 2008; India Open 2009.
  Runner-up (10): Russian, German Open 2006; Brazil, Chile, Korea, Chinese Taipei, German, Swedish Open 2007; Polish Open 2008; India Open 2010.
• Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 4. Record: winner (2008); runner-up (2009).
• Asian Championships: QF (2007).

Mixed Doubles

• World Championships: round of 16 (2009).

Team

• Olympics: 9th (2008).
• World Championships: 10th (2008).
• 2010 Commonwealth Games

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "ITTF world ranking". International Table Tennis Federation. http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=102943&U18=0&U21=0&Siniors=1&. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "ITTF player's profile". International Table Tennis Federation. http://www.ittf.com/biography/biography_web_details.asp?Player_ID=102943. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
3. ^ Acharya, Mahesh. "Gold for Gao Ning but Nigerians Prevent Singaporean Clean Sweep in Jaipur". Accessed September 5, 2008.
4. ^ "ITTF Statistics". International Table Tennis Federation. http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=9506. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
5. ^ "Olympic results". http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ga/gao-ning-1.html. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 

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Chen Weixing
Personal information
Full name	Chen Weixing
Nationality	China  Austria
Playing style	Table tennis styles#Attacking Chopper
Born	(1972-04-27) April 27, 1972 (age 40) Inner Mongolia,  China
Medal record Men's table tennis Competitor for  Austria World Cup Bronze 2010 Dubai Team Bronze 2007 Magdeburg Team European Championships Silver 2005 Aarhus Mixed Doubles Silver 2005 Aarhus Team Gold 2003 Courmayeur Doubles Silver 2003 Courmayeur Mixed Doubles Bronze 2002 Zagreb Mixed Doubles

Chen Weixing (Simplified Chinese: 陈卫星 Hanyu Pinyin: Chén Wèixīng, Born April 27, 1972, Inner Mongolia, China) is an Austrian table tennis player of Chinese origin. He has played for SVS Lower Austria for several years. ^[1]

Chen found it difficult to be selected in China's competitive national team. He made it to the top 15 but the opportunity to play at world class level was limited. Therefore he decided to venture to Europe, first to Hungary, then Germany then Austria. Chen is considered to be one of the best defensive players in the world, reaching his personal best ranking of World number 9 in 2006.^[2]

Success[link]

• Winner of the European Champions League: 2007/2008
• Double European Champion 2002
• Vice European Cup 2005
• ETTU-European Cup in 200, won the TTG Hoengen

See also[link]

• List of table tennis players

External links[link]

• ITTF entry in the database

References[link]

Gao Zhisheng 高智晟
Born	1966 (age 45–46) Shaanxi, China
Nationality	Chinese
Alma mater	Renmin University of China
Occupation	Attorney
Known for	Human rights activism
Religion	Christian
Spouse	Geng He

Gao Zhisheng (Chinese: 高智晟, b. 1966) is a Chinese human rights attorney and dissident known for defending activists and religious minorities and documenting alleged human rights abuses in China. Because of his work, Zhisheng has been disbarred and detained by the Chinese government several times and released. His commitment to defending his clients is influenced by his Christian beliefs and their tenets on morality and compassion.^{[citation needed]}

Zhisheng's memoir, A China More Just (2007), documents his "fight as a rights lawyer in the world's largest communist state." In the book, he accuses the ruling Communist Party of China of state-sponsored torture and reports having been tortured by the Chinese secret police. He disappeared in April 2010. At the beginning of 2012 Zhisheng's brother said he had received a court document saying his brother was in jail in Xinjiang.^[1]

Background[link]

Gao was born and grew up in a house in Shaanxi Province with six siblings; his father died at the age of 40.^[2][3] He briefly worked in a coal mine.

With his family not being able to afford elementary school, Gao said he sat listening outside the classroom window. Later, an uncle helped him attend secondary school, after which he qualified to join the People's Liberation Army.^[2] His unit was stationed at a base in Kashgar, in Xinjiang region, and he became a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Later, he left the PLA and began working as a food vendor. In 1991, inspired by a newspaper article that mentioned a plan by Deng Xiaoping, then China's paramount leader, to train 150,000 new lawyers and develop the Chinese legal system, he took a course in Law. Gao credited his excellent memory of titles and clauses for passing all his exams; he passed the bar in 1995.^[2]

Early career[link]

In 1989, the legislature passed the Administrative Procedure Law, which gave Chinese citizens the right to sue state agencies for the first time. In the 1990s, Gao represented the family of a Xinjiang boy who became comatose after a doctor erroneously gave him ethanol intravenously; Gao won $100,000 in damages for a boy who had lost his hearing in another malpractice case.^[2] He acted on behalf of a private businessman who had taken control of and redressed a troubled state-owned company when the district government used force to reclaim it after it became profitable. The case went to the Supreme Court, with a verdict in favour of the businessman. However, according to Gao, he has been a victim of reprisals from Xinjiang leaders, who warned clients and court officials to shun him.^[2]

Shengzhi Law Office[link]

Gao was director, founder, and star litigator of the Beijing-based Shengzhi Law Office, having moved to Beijing in 2000. In 2001, he was recognised by China’s Ministry of Justice as "one of the country’s 10 best lawyers". Over the following years, he defended a wide range of clients who had been victims of injustice. Gao’s committed involvement with such cases, he says, is strongly bound with the emphasis of his Christian identity on morality and compassion.^[4] One significant case he spearheaded was for fair compensation for a client whose home was expropriated for a building project connected with the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, Gao cites an internal document drafted by the central government he had read that instructed all district courts to reject cases involving such land disputes, which he said was "blatantly illegal", but which "every court in Beijing blindly obeyed."^[2] Other cases include:

• A land dispute case against Taishi village officials
• A class-action law suit against local authorities over coercion in implementation of China’s family planning policies
• Won a case for six factory workers from Guangdong province who had been detained for protesting exploitation by their employer.^[5]
• Appealed the sentence of Zheng Yichun, a journalist and former professor who was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in September for his on-line writings
• Provided legal help for Falun Gong practitioners, including Huang Wei, who was illegally sentenced to three years of re-education through labor in Shijiazhuang.^[6]
• Provided legal help for an illegal Chinese house church pastor Cai Zhuohua, who was sentenced to three years in prison for printing and distributing copies of the Bible.^{[citation needed]}

He was named one of the 10 Best Lawyers in China, by the Ministry of Justice in 2001, for his work in defending victims of medical malpractice and fighting for just compensation for dispossessed landowners.^[7] Following the Beijing land compensation case, he entered what was to become a protracted battle over several hundred acres of farmland that Guangdong Province had seized to construct a university. Although Gao met with many legal impediments, he took his campaign to the people. He publicly accused Guangdong officials of their "brazen murderous schemes", which stoked public anger and helped his clients obtain more generous compensation.^[2] In the summer of 2005, Gao defended fellow lawyer-activist Zhu Jiuhu, who was accused of "disturbing public order" while representing private investors in oil wells that were seized by the government in Shaanxi. He secured Zhu's release several months later through an intensive publicity campaign, although Zhu was barred from practicing law.^[2] Gao has also taken cases on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners. The Beijing Judicial Bureau has prohibited him from acting in certain cases and clients, including Falun Gong, the Shaanxi oil case and a recent incident of political unrest in Taishi village in Guangdong. He refused to drop any of them, arguing that the bureau had no legal authority to dictate what cases he accepts or rejects.^[2]

In 2005, he resigned from the Communist Party.^[8] Shortly after sending an open letter to the PRC leadership that accused the government of running extrajudicial "brainwashing base(s)" for ddealing with Falun Gong practitioners, he received a visit from State Security agents. Gao's family was put under 24-hour police surveillance autumn 2005. On 4 November, shortly after being warned to retract a second open letter he had written about his Falun Gong cases, Gao received a new summons from the judicial bureau accusing him of a "serious violation of the Law on Managing the Registration of Law Firms" for failing to promptly register new business address following a move. He was ordered to suspend operations for a year.^[2] On appeal in late November, the bureau demanded that Gao hand over his personal law license as well as his firm's operating permit by 14 December, threatening use of force if he failed to comply; at that time, Gao had eluded being tailed by Security, and went to north-east China to take statements from Falun Gong practitioners who alleged torture in the hands of security forces.^[2]

Detentions[link]

Amnesty International alleged on 17 January 2006 that Gao narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, planned as a traffic accident ordered by Chinese secret police.^{[citation needed]} On 4 February 2006, Gao, together with Hu Jia and other activists, launched a “Relay Hunger Strike for Human Rights,” whereby different activists and citizens fasted for 24 hours in rotation. The hunger strike was joined by people in 29 provinces, as well as overseas, though several participants were arrested for joining.^[9]

On 15 August 2006, after numerous death threats and continued harassment, Gao disappeared while visiting his sister's family. On 21 September 2006, he was officially arrested.^[10] On 22 December 2006, Gao was convicted of "subversion", and was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended, and placed on probation for five years. The sentence also deprives him of his political rights – the freedom to publish or speak out against the government – for one year. He had publicly confessed to a number of errors. On his liberation, Gao recanted his confession and described torture he said he experienced^[7][11] during his 54 days^[12] in custody. He also said captors threatened he would be killed if he spoke publicly about the matter.^[7] In chapter 6 of his memoirs written in 2006, Gao criticised the CCP for employing "the most savage, most immoral, and most illegal means to torture our mothers, torture our wives, torture our children, and torture our brothers and sisters…". He formally renounced his membership of "this inhumane, unjust, and evil Party", declaring it "the proudest day of my life.^[13]

The American Board of Trial Advocates selected Gao to receive the prestigious Courageous Advocacy Award; they had invited him to receive the award personally in Santa Barbara, California on 30 June 2007.^[14]

In the fall of 2007, Gao’s memoir A China More Just was published in English in the United States.^[15]

On 22 September 2007, after writing open letters to Vice-President of the European Parliament, Edward McMillan-Scott, and then to US Congress calling for a boycott of the Olympics,^[16] Gao was once again taken away from his home, where he had been under house arrest, by Chinese secret police.^[17] A letter from Gao claimed that he endured ten days of torture that involved beatings, electric prods and even toothpicks to his naked body, followed by weeks of emotional torture. Gao wrote that his torturers said his case had become personal with 'uncles' in the state security apparatus after he had repeatedly publicised previous mistreatment.^[18]

Disappearances[link]

Demonstration in Hong Kong to demand information about Gao Zhisheng's whereabouts

In February 2009, Gao was taken away for interrogation by Chinese security agents^[2] and had not been seen until^[12] he resurfaced in Shanxi in March 2010. One month prior to his disappearance, Gao's wife and two children escaped China with the help of underground religious adherents. They arrived in the United States and were granted right of asylum ten days later.^[7][8] During his disappearance, in response to queries from his family about his whereabouts, police claimed he lost his way and went missing in September 2009.^[19][20] For several months, Gao was not charged, and the Government never acknowledged his whereabouts, nor their involvement in his disappearance. His last contact with friends or family was one phone call placed to his brother in July 2009.^[18]

In January 2010, Gao's brother, Gao Zhiyi, told an interviewer that the Beijing police told him that Gao "lost his way and went missing" on 25 September 2009,^[21][22] igniting fears that Gao was no longer alive.^[23][24] On 21 January 2010, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a cryptic statement that Gao was “where he should be,”^[25][26] and said he did not know Gao's whereabouts at a later press conference.^[7] During the visit to China by David Miliband in March, the Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, said that Gao had been sentenced on subversion charges, but denied he had been tortured.

On 28 March 2010 Gao was found to be living near Wutai Mountain. Addressing a reporter by telephone, he said he was not in a position to be interviewed, but confirmed he had been sentenced and freed.^[27] A few days later, he met the media, appearing thinner and more subdued than in the past and said that he had abandoned his criticism of the government in the hope of reuniting with his wife and two children, who secretly fled China early last year.^[28]

In April, 2010 Gao's family reported they have not heard from him since he returned from a visit to Xinjiang 10 days previously.^[29] The South China Morning Post reports that Gao left Beijing to visit his in-laws in Ürümqi, carrying just a backpack between 9 and 12 April. Gao's father-in-law said Gao arrived at his house in the company of four police officers, spent just one night there before once again being taken away by police. His father-in-law called a friend of his in Beijing on 21 April to say Gao was to board a plane at 4.30 p.m. His father-in-law said Gao had promised to call after returning home, but there was no word.^[30] Emily Lau and Albert Ho said Gao's disappearance "prov[ed] that justice and the rule of law is disappearing in communist China – if it ever existed at all".^[31]

The report of Gao's 2010 disappearance and detention was considered by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which, in March, 2011, called for his release.^[32] After months of speculation as to his status and whereabouts Xinhua reported in December 2011 that Gao had been jailed for three years by No. 1 Beijing Intermediate People's Court because he "had seriously violated probation rules for a number of times, which led to the court decision to withdraw the probation."^[33] According to his brother, Gao was being held in a jail in Xayar County, Xinjiang province.^[34]

See also[link]

Human rights portal

• Kai fang
• Weiquan movement

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gao Zhisheng

• 高智晟网站- Gao's supporters' website in Chinese
• Gao Zhisheng- Gao's supporters' website website in English
• China Aid Association – Free Gao Campaign
• Amnesty International 2008 Report states that Gao Zhisheng was tortured in the governments custody.
• The German Gao Zhisheng Website
• Gao Zhisheng at Radio Free China