This is a great Canadian sports story looking back at Vancouver's 1933 Chinese Students Soccer team, which won the top trophy in the province with a 4-3 victory over a heavily favored team from the University of British Columbia: Nearly 70 years on, an act of inclusion for Chinese Students Soccer team.This week, that legendary trail-blazing team from Chinatown was inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame. While none of the 1933 cup-winning squad are alive, their family members were there to share in the honor:
The Chinese Students was a high school unit in 1919, but a mistake by their sponsor, a Chinatown bank, put it in the city's adult league, which sharpened the players' skills. The team won many trophies, none so big as the 1933 Mainland Cup.That's an awesome story, considering that back in the throes of the Depression, the Chinese community probably didn't have a whole lot to cheer about. But these guys came along and became Chinatown's heroes. Represent! Here's another article on the new inductees to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame: All for the love of their sport.
Robert Yip's father, Quene Yip, was the star of the team.
"He was born here, but my father had none of the rights of other Canadians. Soccer was one of the only opportunities he had to compete as an equal," Mr. Yip said.
"Those players won more than a trophy. They broke down barriers, they won respect for their community and they left a legacy that continues to this day."