Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Mike Procter. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is a warm sunny day. Many people have gathered in a place that once was Weishsien prison camp, China. They are celebrating something special – the sixtieth anniversary of the camp prisoners being freed. Children wave flags. Colourful fireworks explode noisily. A number of men gather round a stone memorial. Silently, they place a circle of flowers on it. This stone marks the death of an Olympic champion. This man had been in Weihsien prison camp. And he had died there. But this champion was not Chinese. He was from the United Kingdom. And his name was Eric Liddell.
Voice 2
Eric Liddell was born in China in 1902. His parents were from Scotland. But they had moved to China some years earlier. Eric’s father was a Christian minister. He felt it was important for as many people as possible to hear the Christian message. This included people in other countries. And Eric’s parents especially loved Chinese people. They wanted to share the message of God’s love with them. Eric grew up with the same values – a love of God and a love of China.
Voice 1
Eric went to school in China until he was five. His parents then decided to send him and his older brother back to the United Kingdom. They thought it would be best for the children to attend school there. Rob and Eric found it very hard to be away from their parents. But as time passed, they discovered a new interest – sport. The brothers were especially good at running. In fact, people called Eric ‘the fastest runner in Scotland’, when he was still a schoolboy!
Voice 2
In 1920 Eric joined his brother Rob at Edinburgh University. Eric continued to run. He said:
Voice 3
“God made me fast. And when I run, I feel he is pleased with me.”
Voice 2
Many people said he would represent his country at the Olympic Games. But Eric had another goal in life. He and some other young men travelled to many different places in Scotland. They wanted to speak to people about the Christian message. By then, Eric was becoming famous. People knew him. And they could see that Eric’s life equalled his message. So they were willing to listen to what he said.
Voice 1
It is every sportsman’s dream to go to the Olympic Games. And Eric Liddell was a true sportsman. His dream was about to come true. It was now 1924. The city of Paris was responsible for organizing the Olympic Games that year. The British running authorities had chosen Eric to compete in the one hundred [100] metre race. This was Eric’s best distance. But there was a problem.
Voice 2
The one hundred metre running competition began on a Sunday. Eric was a Christian. In the Bible God had told his people to keep one day special. It was a day for meeting together with other Christians. It was a day for praying and reading God’s word. In Eric’s time, most people kept Sunday for this purpose. And Eric felt strongly that he should do the same. So, he would not run.
Voice 1
But the British running authorities knew how good Eric was. They persuaded him to enter the four hundred metres race instead. This competition was not on a Sunday. So Eric agreed. It was not his best distance. But it meant he could still run in the Olympics!
Voice 2
The story of Eric Liddell’s Olympic experience was made into a film. This film is called, “Chariots of Fire”. One part shows the final of the four hundred [400] metres. Everyone thinks that Liddell has no chance. He has a strange way of running. And he is better at shorter distances. Soon, the men line up to start the race. Eric Liddell shakes hands with everyone. Then, he bends over. The starter fires the gun. Each man starts to run as fast as he can. Liddell powers round the running track. One hundred metres ... two hundred metres ... he is feeling strong. He can not see the other runners. Three hundred metres ... his head falls back. His mouth opens. His elbows push out to the sides and back. He crosses the line ... he wins!
Voice 1
Not only did Liddell win the four hundred metres, he was six metres in front of the next runner. And, he had broken the world record. It was a wonderful victory. When someone asked him how he had won, Liddell said:
Voice 3
‘I ran the first two hundred metres as fast as I could. Then, for the second two hundred metres, with God’s help I ran faster.”
Voice 1
The film, “Chariots of Fire”, won many awards. The story showed how much Eric Liddell honoured God above himself or his country. This touched many people. But few people know what happened to Eric Liddell after the Olympics.
Voice 2
Eric had not forgotten the country of his birth – China. In 1925, he decided to return there. He wanted to serve God and the Chinese people. So, Eric became a teacher. He worked in an English–Chinese College. This school was near his parents’ home. He made time for training local boys in different sports. And he also shared the Christian message with the local children. These were the two things that he loved best to do.
Voice 1
The following years brought many changes to China – and to Eric’s life. He became a Christian minister, like his father. He also got married. Florence’s family were from Canada. But they had been working in China for some years. Over the years, Eric and Florence had three daughters. They were a very happy family. But life in China was getting more difficult. There had been problems between China and nearby Japan for many years. Finally, in 1937 Japan invaded China. The area where the Liddell family lived came under Japanese control. The British government told all of its citizens to leave China. Eric Liddell sent his wife and daughters to Canada. But he decided to stay. He went to help some Christian doctors who had also stayed. They wanted to continue helping their Chinese friends.
Voice 2
But soon, the Japanese army put all foreign people into prison camps. Eric was sent to Weihsien camp. He tried to make life as normal as possible for the prisoners there. He began teaching science to the children. He organized sports and games. He shared out supplies of medicine and food. He showed God’s love to people whenever he could. One ex–prisoner, Stephen Metcalf remembers:
Voice 4
“Eric gave me his old running shoes. My own shoes had worn out and it was winter.”
Voice 1
But Eric’s health was failing. He developed a growth on his brain. There was no medicine to treat this sickness. In February 1945, Eric Liddell died in the camp hospital. He was forty–three [43] years old.
Voice 2
Eric Liddell was an Olympic champion. But people remember him more as God’s champion – a man who knew how to love and serve others.
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