Divers

Elisa Haberer

Chine Diving Enfants Haberer kids Plongeon

Un mot sur l'oeuvre

( REF : EHAB001)
This photo comes from the in-depth feature on sport in China, « 1,3 billion athletes » by Elisa Haberer. She produced it before the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2007/2008. Elisa travelled all over China for 14 months to tell the story, from a sports point of view, of a country hosting the Olympic Games for the first time. It was an ambitious, long-term project, funded and supported by L’Equipe Magazine, that filled most of a special issue published on 2nd August 2008. Kunming Sports Centre diving board. Yunnan Province 昆明跳水运动中心
云南省 The Kunming Sports Centre pool was built barely 20 years previously but already looked as if it came from another era. Only the sound of water amplified by an incredible echo, split the wall of humidity in this building whose decor is worthy of Metropolis. Twice a week, children from 4 to 10 years old come and defy the laws of gravity from heights inversely proportional to their size. 6-year old Jiang Feng Xiao Wen is going to launch himself from the 5m diving board to perform a double somersault. Does he draw strength from the large leitmotifs plastered all over the walls ? Such as : « You have to make unbearable efforts in order to obtain the honour that no ordinary person can ».

Le témoignage d'Elisa Haberer

« My China » The ambition of this photography project, which was born out of a desire to keep a record of what I saw and felt here, was to work on the details that highlight the differences but also trivialise them. (Elisa lived in Beijing for 6 years). In 2008, year of the Olympics, when all eyes were on the host country, analysing its every move, I thought it would be a good time to immerse myself in Chinese society. Sport is a fantastic vector for crossing geographical, cultural, political and social boundaries, even if in this case it only served as a pretext. Each image tells a smaller story that goes to make up the portrait of China today. While I was in Kunming, looking for Qian Hongyan, a disabled swimmer, I came across this striking place.

Le choix de Jean-Denis

This is one of the project’s dark but also strong images. The atmosphere, setting, children etc. Everything contributes to making this photo a concise but complete resume of what training means when you are young and Chinese. There is no need to read an in-depth study, with one click of the shutter she shows why China dominates Olympic diving.