The first goal in sports is having fun, writes Alvin Ma, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from  Canada. But how well recreation centres make newcomers – and those from other cultures – welcome has a big impact on participation. “It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A” goes the refrain of the famous Village People disco song. …

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During a visit to China Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada, explored some of the political and tourist stereotypes that dominate western concepts about the country. What he found was a pleasant surprise. “Yīnwèi wǒ láizì jiānádà, wǒ de pǔtōnghuà bù hǎo, wǒ huì shuō​​zhǐyǒu yīngwén, duìbùqǐ.” I scribbled the above romanized Chinese words …

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