The Chinese Men's Basketball Team is staying at the Olympic Village in Homebush Bay, located west of Sydney City, about 14 kilometers from the city center.
Unlike the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Gan Guoyang is staying in the village together with his teammates this time, rather than staying alone in a hotel outside.
Since Gan Guoyang retired from the NBA, he is no longer the league's most important asset, and where he stays or whether there are safety concerns are no longer issues the league considers or cares about.
Gan Guoyang is happy to stay in the Olympic Village and live in an apartment with everyone, as it's more lively and interesting, allowing him to connect and make friends with athletes from many countries.
However, as soon as he arrived at the Olympic Village, Gan Guoyang encountered trouble: Australians are no less enthusiastic than people from New Zealand, Japan, and Brazil.
After the rooms were allocated, staff started wandering around the residence of the Chinese Men's Basketball Team, with a very clear purpose—to find Gan Guoyang.
There were people looking for autographs, hoping for photos, wanting handshakes, leaving contact information—in short, it could be described as bustling with activity.
The frequent visits disrupted the rest and normal life of other basketball team members, so Gan Guoyang had to contact the organizers, hoping no one would come to disturb them again.
The person in charge of security and management at the Olympic Village rushed over to take control after setting rules and ensuring there would be no more disturbances, and then took out a basketball, hoping Gan Guoyang could sign it.
Gan Guoyang had no choice but to agree; over the past month, he signed his name more often than he threw baskets.
Gan Guoyang became famous during the era when television media was flourishing, sports were globalizing, and the cultural and sports industry was most likely to produce superstars with huge influence.
Gan Guoyang was the brightest among many dazzling stars, wherever he went, it was as if stars were surrounding the moon, and everyone wanted a glimpse of this Basketball God's charisma.
And after catching a glimpse of his charisma, they realized he truly had it; upon returning, they would heavily portray it, and the reputation accumulated layer by layer over more than ten years, turning him into a global idol.
During the five days in Sydney waiting for the Olympics to begin, aside from training, Gan Guoyang took his teammates around Sydney to have fun and relax to prepare for the competition.
To avoid being recognized and causing unnecessary trouble, Gan Guoyang had to wear a mask and hat, but the basketball team's towering stature made them hard to hide, attracting attention wherever they went.
Especially Yao Ming; while someone like Gan Guoyang at 6 feet 10 inches is rare, there are still many tall guys over 2 meters on the road in Europe and America, so if Gan Guoyang is careful with his disguise, he can indeed remain concealed.
But someone like Yao Ming, at 2.26 meters, stands out like a giraffe among the crowd, making it truly impossible to hide; even wearing a mask doesn't work, his huge square head is recognized at once.
Once Yao Ming is recognized, people know the Chinese Men's Basketball Team is present, which means Ah Gan is definitely there, and once Ah Gan is there, it becomes like the sun's gravity pulling more and more people in.
After their whereabouts were exposed several times, the original sightseeing and playing around turned into large groups following them on "tours," accompanied by autograph sessions, which troubled Gan Guoyang's security team greatly.
Quentin suggested Gan Guoyang move out of the Olympic Village and stay in a hotel outside, which offers better privacy protection.
However, Gan Guoyang refused, as he just wanted to stay in the Olympic Village and occasionally go out for strolls; he told Quentin, "I'll pay you more."
"Okay, I'll add more personnel and cooperate with a local security company."
Admittedly, Gan Guoyang has become accustomed to and even somewhat enjoys these days of being surrounded by stars.
You have to know that not only do people from everywhere recognize him, asking for autographs and photos when they see him; at the Olympics, many star athletes are his fans.
For instance, American Athletics Team sprinter Maurice Greene, tennis star Williams, and female sprinter Marian Jones all inevitably regard Ah Gan as a sports idol.
As for Chinese athletes, most of them grew up in the late '80s and '90s, often hearing the sports news, "Gan Guoyang won another championship!"
In a time when China greatly valued champions, Gan Guoyang somewhat resembled the "wealth god"; he was the champion god pasted on the walls of major sports schools and training centers.
In the Olympic Village, everyone recognizes Gan Guoyang; whoever sees him wants to greet him, ask for autographs, take photos, hug, or even kiss.
His influence peaked after he secured his third consecutive championship in 2000, retired gloriously, and his legendary story concluded perfectly.
In Sydney, Gan Guoyang had already become a spectacle, a unique sports phenomenon belonging only to the Olympics.
Local Australian media even sourly commented, "Ah Gan's arrival has stolen the spotlight of the Olympics; people only care about the whereabouts and deeds of this basketball star and have little interest in the Sydney Olympics itself."
Some media even said, "Gan's influence has forced the Olympic Committee to reassess whether allowing Sydney to beat Beijing to win the hosting rights was a mistake."
Regarding the 1993 Olympic hosting bidding process, rumors about Sydney defeating Beijing under-the-table emerged in large quantities as the Olympics drew near, with some relevant individuals admitting that Sydney did have election bribery, and during the critical voting stage, there was one "betrayal" leading to Beijing's defeat.