The building of a dream:The inaugural editorial

The building of a dream:The inaugural editorial

For too long,China,the sleeping giant,was leftunnoticed by the rest of the sport world.The giant,however,awoke from the slumberand has risen to the top of the world of sports since the 1980s.Throughout the monumental Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games,the world took notice at the outstanding performances of the Chinese athletes who took 51 gold medals, surpassing the superpowers USA and Russia,and made China the country winning the most gold medals.China’s strong presence at the Olympic Games,as commented by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge,demonstrated that China had reached a significant milestone.On the forefront of scientific research in sport and exercise,China has come a long way and has indeed reached a significant milestone as well.From December 5th to December 7th,2011,1568 researchers attended the Ninth National Sport Scientific Congress of China sponsored by China Sport Science Society and hosted by Shanghai University of Sport(SUS).During the two-day conference in Shanghai,the researchers presented 3384 studies(selected from 7129 submissions)that were consistent with the conference theme“Promoting Sport Science,Developing a Strong Nation”.The conference has demonstrated the strength and advancement of sport/exercise research and can be regarded asa celebrated Olympicsin sport/ exercise science in modern China.

These and other important events have clearly shown that China now has become a“sport superpower”.But the journey of the past30 years has also made it clear that the purpose for human beings to engage in sporting events is not merely to compete for gold medals.It is vitalfor us to notlose sight on other important goals of sport and exercise:to improve the quality of life of human beings by promoting and encouraging pursuit of a healthy and happy lifestyle as well as physical fitness.To accomplish these goals relies,in part,on the development and enhancement of scientific research in the fields of sport and exercise and on communication of the research results globally.The role of scientific journals as a tool for communication among international researchers,therefore,cannot be overlooked or underestimated.To promote scholarly communication to the fullest extent,the SUS is launching this English-language scientific journal,the Journal of Sport and Health Science(JSHS),with hope to advance the exchange of research outcomes between China and the rest of the world.

China has a long history of promoting academic communication through scholarly publications.As early as 1909,Yi-Bing Xu,a renowned sporteducator in Shanghai,founded the journal The World of Sports with the Chinese Gymnastics School of Shanghai as the publisher.1Today,there are 56 sport/exercise scholarly journals in China responsible for publishing over 10,000 scholarly articles annually.1As a country with 1.3 billion people,China produces research reports,theses and dissertations in large quantity along with other scholarly articles.It is imperative to share and communicate this large body of scholarly work with researchers and scholars worldwide through a high-quality journal.Therefore, the goals of JSHS are to provide a space for researchers in China and the world to publish high-quality studies in the fields of sport,exercise,and health,to promote application of research outcomes in the world and in China,and,ultimately, to improve timely communication among Chinese and international scholars.It is believed that this very first Englishlanguage scholarly journal will help empower scholars in China,the new“sport superpower”,to actively play a role on the world stage and provide a platform for other international researchers to disseminate their significant work.

The inauguration of JSHS is significant to China in thatit opens a window to the world in the field of sport/exercise science.Notonly does its birth overcome a language gap that has long been a barrier in communicating research findings, but also encourages other developing countries to promote scientific research in the fields of sport,exercise,and health. As shown in Fig.1,the numbers are astonishing:among the 84 SCI indexed sport/exercise journals,92%are published by developed countries.2Geographically,the imbalance is also stunning.Most journals are published in the western hemisphere(e.g.,42 from USA and 12 from UK);only two from Asia(one each in Japan and Singapore).At the present time, JSHS is the only English-language journal published in the largest developing country with 1.3 billion people in the important field of sport/exercise.From this global perspective,JSHS has a unique opportunity to become a leadingscholarly journal that positions itself in the world to help mainstream international efforts of promoting research on sport,exercise,and health in and for developing countries. The unique opportunity and geographic location allows JSHS to focus on publishing full-scope,in-depth,and cutting-edge research worldwide.In particular,JSHS welcomes original, empirical studies on ethnically traditional practices for health enhancement such as those on health effects of Chinese traditional exercises.We hope that JSHS will provide an effective communication platform for scholars of the world in this era of globalization and serve as a role model for other Chinese sport/exercise journals to enter the world stage in the future.

Fig.1.Sport sciences journal list in science citation index expanded(December,2011).

Shanghai is the pinnacle of vigor and vitality in China. Characterized by a cosmopolitan culture,the city is a true“melting pot”nurtured on“a land irrigated by a sea of thousand streams”as the old Chinese saying goes.SUS,the sponsor of JSHS,is the oldest,full-scale university specializing in multi-disciplinary sport and exercise scholarship. Founded in 1952,SUS is the birthplace of modern higher education in sport and exercise science in China.It has been very active in international scholarship exchanges and has developed international exchange education programs with more than 40 universities from a dozen countries in the world. Irrigated by international scholarship“streams”,SUS provides an optimal foundation for the success of JSHS.

JSHS has adopted internationally acknowledged standards for and approaches to its operation.The journalis governed by an editorial board consisting of internationally recognized, world-class scholars from China(including Hong Kong and Taiwan,35%)and other countries(e.g.,USA,UK,Germany, Japan,Finland,65%).For example,Jian-Cheng Zhang is the president of SUS and chairman of the Sports Industry Association of the China Sports Science Society;Walter Herzog is the past president of the International Society of Biomechanics;David C.Nieman has served two terms as president of the International Society of Exercise and Immunology; Albert Gollhofer is the past president of the European College of Sport Science;Ang Chen is the president of the Research Consortium,American Alliance for Health,Physical Education,Recreation and Dance(AAHPERD)and an Active Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology(USA).The board membership has met various industrial standards for international scholarly journals for submission,peer-review (JSHS adopts Scholar One™Manuscripts),and publication (production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.).

JSHS is intended to publish original research,scholarly reviews,opinion papers,and research highlights/commentaries in exercise/sport science,physical education and sport coaching,health promotion,and traditional Chinese medicine. Through these features,JSHS aims to build a communication platform for international researchers to share scholarly achievements effectively.

Included in this inaugural issue are 13 articles in the aforementioned sections.The reader may find interesting and inspiring articles such as David C.Nieman’s review Clinical Implications of Exercise Metabolism which is full of useful information for researchers in sport training and sport biochemistry.An original research article,Effects of Tai Chi on Improving Balance in Older Adults,by Ding-Hai Yu and Hui-Xin Yang,reveals positive effects of a 24-week Tai Chi exercise intervention on aging males’balance control.In Research Highlight,Ang Chen provides an insightful commentary on Effects of Acute Exercise on Long-Term Memory by Labban and Etnier,which is the winner of 2012 Research Writing Award of the Research Quarterly for Exercise Sport.In the Opinion column,Weimo Zhu challenged and criticized the overuse of p value in inferential statistical analyses.Furthermore,the inaugural issue also features another Editorialby JSHS Co-Editor-in-Chief,Walter Herzog,which brilliantly provides a lens for researchers to view sport studies in the globallandscape.Ihope our readers will enjoy reading all these remarkable pieces.

With the distinguished editorial board,JSHS is positioned to make a significant contribution to the sport,exercise,and health research.Itis our goalfor JSHS to become a scholarly journal with highest quality,excellence,and integrity.To accomplish this goal,we will strive to work together to maintain high standards,integrity,and excellence in daily operation.Achievement in sports and scientific research are integral parts of the world culture and need to be communicated as such.While Chinese scholars are eager to beintegrated into the world,international scholars need to understand China as partof the international community.Itis our hope that JSHS will be the journal of choice for Chinese and international scholars to share and advance scholarship and to learn from each other in sport and health science.

1.Li XX,Qiu JR,Li QH,Zheng F,He PS,Yao F,et al.Research on development of sport academic journals of New China.China Sport Science 2009;29(5):3—23[In Chinese].

2.Philadelphia(US),Thomson Reuters,Inc.Science citation index expandedsportsciences-journallist.[cited 2011 Dec 6].Available at:http://science. thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=D&SC=XW[accessed 06.12.2011].

Jian-Cheng Zhang,Co-Editor-in-Chief President Office, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai,China

E-mailaddress:zhangjcmail@yahoo.com.cn

23 December 2011

Peer review under responsibility of Shanghai University of Sport

Production and hosting by Elsevier

2095-2546/$-see front matter Copyright©2012,Shanghai University of Sport.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.

10.1016/j.jshs.2012.04.001