Champion: Chinese windsurfer Yin Jian celebrated her win Wednesday in Qingdao, about 450 miles southeast of Beijing. China has dominated the gold-medal table and neared the US in overall medals. (Herbert Knosowski/AP)
China: Can Olympic gold last?
Its dominance at the Beijing Games’ gold-medal table relied on a massive centralized sports system.
Mark Sappenfield | August 21, 2008 edition
Pascal Lauener/Reuters
Winner: Chinese sailor Yin Jian kisses her gold medal.
Beijing
The Beijing Games have established a new Olympic order. To win these games, China made a massive investment in its sports system. If it continues, the dominance could continue for years to come.
The host nation is set to win the gold-medal table. By the time the Games end Sunday, it may near the Soviet Union’s record of 55 golds in a nonboycotted Olympics, set in 1988.
Yet the triumph has come at great cost. China’s centralized sports system is expansive and expensive. With little of a grass-roots sports culture here, the government must maintain or even increase its funding to stay on top.
China must decide whether to pull back now that it’s won its hometown Games or use this success as a foundation for more. Its decision could shape the medal table for years to come.
“With the good feelings there is going to be a lot of public support for continuing the policy of winning gold medals,” says Susan Brownell, a professor at the University of Missouri in St. Louis who has also studied at Beijing Sport University. “[The decision] might have to go into the top leadership of China.”
The Beijing Games have brought new faces. Never before had Jamaica won more than two gold medals. With three days of sprints remaining, it has already won five. Britain is gearing up its Olympic machine for London 2012: Here it has won 17 gold medals, its most in 100 years.
Mongolia won its first gold medal, in judo; Togo and Afghanistan each won their first medal of any color, in kayaking and taekwondo, respectively. In all, 80 nations have so far won medals – tying the all-time Olympic record, set in Sydney in 2000.
Beijing 2008 has also seen disappointments. Russia was expected to challenge the US and China in the medal tally. It will probably finish strongly – but well behind both. After Thursday, it was still 12 golds and 42 total medals short of the US.
Gold wins more cachet
Yet most of all, the 2008 Games have brought China to the forefront of the Olympics. Home nations almost always enjoy a home-field advantage. But even so, China’s lead in the gold-medal table could be historic by Sunday afternoon.
More than half of China’s 83 medals are gold – 55 percent. Among top medal contenders, this has happened only twice before. In 1952, 40 of America’s 76 medals were gold. In 1972, 50 of the Soviet Union’s 99 medals were gold.
The emphasis on gold has become a defining part of this Olympics. A former sports minister here said one gold was worth 1,000 silvers. The Chinese results suggest that their sports system is built with that in mind.
“The Chinese program really pares down athletes to whether or not they can win a gold medal,” says David Wallechinsky, author of “The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics.” “Once they’re zeroed in on a couple of people … they put everything into these people.”
The same can be true in the US, of course, but the American system is generally seen as being more equitable, allowing athletes to distinguish themselves.
The Chinese development scheme “is a different kind of program that we’re not used to,” says Mr. Wallechinsky.
More US vs. China?
What worries members of the US Olympic Committee (USOC) is that they feel China has room to improve. Somewhat amazingly, only one of China’s 45 gold medals has come from swimming or track and field – the two biggest sports and the core of America’s Olympic program.
It is the main reason that Chinese success did not hurt the performance of the US, which has matched its results from Athens: 36 golds and 102 total medals.
Indeed, China’s success hurt no one nation in particular, says Wallechinsky. It consolidated its control of sports where it already did well, such as diving, weightlifting, badminton, and gymnastics. “The other ones came from just picking off medals here and there,” he adds.
But USOC officials expect that to change. “When they start taking some of our swimming medals away from us, it’s going to be difficult to compete,” said Steve Roush, chief of sport performance, in a May interview.
To do that, however, China will need to keep spending. Swimming and track and field are the most competitive sports, and it will take great commitment to break through. Yet many academics in China are pushing for the country to rethink this approach, says Professor Brownell. Focusing most of the money on a few elite athletes might win gold, but it does little to establish a sports culture here, she says.
Yet Mr. Roush of the USOC sees China developing a pipeline of young athletes for 2012 and 2016: “My sense is that China is in it for the long haul.”
Comments
2. American | 08.21.08
As an American American, I’m happy with what the US team has done, as well as the other teams. China just seems too frantic about it.
3. truth | 08.21.08
In fact, team American is definitely NOT doing well. It’s even worse than expected. The media just looks a loser. Are you sure you are happy with that?
4. dagnemrth | 08.21.08
It will be a long time before Chinese atheletes wins any gold in track or swiming, for a very simple rason: Chinese and indeed Asian physiology is not naturally suited for events that are dominated by Africans or to a lesser degree Europeans.
Think about it, China is already dominate without track and swiming, if it were to dominate those fields too, then what’s left for everyone else?
5. Ann Arbor | 08.22.08
Re 4: China won a gold already in swimming this time (broke the world record).
6. Kerson Lin | 08.22.08
As a Chinese, I’m proud of our athlets doing in this Olympic games. But I think that our country should rethink the approach that to focusing most of the money on a few elite athletes might win gold, or to do more to establish a sports culture here.
7. Qian Xu | 08.22.08
I agree with dagnemrth that Chinese is genetically not good for swimming and track, and football as well. But I also need to point out that genetically perhaps, Chinese is so good in Science Olympics, such as Math, Chemistry and Physics, which is more important for a nation.
8. roy | 08.22.08
it’s partly right that China’s medal craze based on a centralized sports system. but u can’t ignore the hardship all the players went through. the glory is there for all of you to see . China will lead the gold medal table in Bijing. US 2nd wooo! but i prefer a grass-rooted sports system, which is lack its atmosphere right now in China. and i believe that our government will wise enough to make a foreseeing decision to promote the future development
9. TJ Hutch | 08.22.08
I wonder what we can take from the Chinese dominance at the Olympics in seemingly every sport - they finished only with the silver in women’s beach volleyball at least. Is this capitalism vs. communism or socialism? If the American sports machine is fed on capitalist principals that competition will produce the best, and that system has failed against the Chinese system of collectively supporting state-run programs to produce top products, does that means capitalism is inferior? Or perhaps it means that capitalism in America, much like our sports programs, is broken. Have we stripped competition out of our lives? Have we allowed politics (both party politics of government and the politics that are involved in who makes the team in sports), meddling parents (akin to government regulation) and a philosophy that there are never any losers (everyone gets a ribbon and banks and others who make stupid investments get bailed out by government money). Whatever the cause, I think it is safe to say that American swagger with which we as Americans have all walked for decades has come to an end. This is not limited to sports, but sports may be an appropriate metaphor. We have become a country of spoiled, pampered, fat, lazy, uneducated, video-game playing people. We need some hard times. We need to be put on a diet to make us lean again. We need to be pushed. We need to shed sweat and blood and tears. We need to know pain. Only then can we reclaim the glory that was once ours. Just being American is not enough anymore. Just being crowed the favorite, does not mean we will be the first to cross the finish line. It is the dawn of the underdog, of a new alignment of economic power, and we are becoming desperately close to falling behind. It is time for us to wake up.
10. Grant | 08.22.08
The Olympic medal haul for China is impressive - they should be proud. But it might be a mask for other things that are lacking - like general physical health of the Chinese citizenry. It makes little sense to groom a few thousand potential Olympic athletes if a citizen in Beijing can’t get access to a tennis court, swimming pool, or volleyball court. I hope the Olympics message of healthy physical competition in sport doesn’t just apply to a privileged few - that would make all those golds a facade.
12. American | 08.22.08
Hey truth, when American athletes are done with the Olympic competition they’ll probably be a more well rounded group of people. The Chinese athletes are one-trick ponies. That’s what I’m happy with.
13. pug_ster | 08.22.08
I think China is planting the seeds for the next generation of Chinese Olympians. Liu Xiang demonstrated that Chinese can swim and there’s already 2 Chinese hurdlers in this Olympics. Liu Zige (200m butterfly) is going to aspire 10 year olds who would aspire to be like her. Don’t forget the 2 Women’s beach volleyball teams who made got metals. Besides, the usual table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and diving, I think these sports are self perpetuating because the advertisers love these athletes and fame that comes with it.
However, there are other sports that China has to somehow fund like weightlifting, sailing, boating, shooting, etc… because many of these athletes are not tall, handsome, or glamorous. I agree with the author that China has to somehow nationalize these sports.
14. Concerned for USA | 08.22.08
I agree whole heartedly with TJ Hutch. We Americans need to wake up to the problems going on in our economy and society. Americans want to feel like we’re always on top of the world but we no longer want to work to achieve it. We simply put lipstick on the pig to make the current situation look more appealing to us. I have noticed a lot of China bashing on blog sites and on You Tube. A self-respecting nation should applaud the accomplishments of the Chinese but at the same time, learn how to better ourselves for the next olympics. Yes, indeed the Olympics are a metaphor for how the US sees itself in the world. We make ourselves look as if we are the best by consistently showing ourselves at the top of the leaderboard in total medal count while ignoring the fact that China is about to break the record in total golds. The US can no longer ignore the failing state of its economy while nursing our egos by bashing on nations like China who is threatening our dominance. We have to come to the realization that after a long period of dominance, we are now declining and need to take real strides to improve ourselves not only in the sporting arena but in the world arena.
15. Ben | 08.22.08
The Chinese have potential in swimming. Japanese and Koreans have done ok recently especially considering their much smaller population. However, track is another matter. Occasionally there will be one or two Liu Xiangs given the country’s massive population, but it’ll be difficult for them to be a serious contender. The only way for China is by immigrants. With the government’s strong connection with a number of countries in Africa, it’s possible they can provide opportunities for talented athletes from the African continent. Might sound absurd, but remember Chinese is not ethnicity, but citizenship just like Americans. While unlikely in the near term, it is possible that one day there could be African-Chinese, Han-Chinese, etc representing China in the Olympics.
16. Zigzag | 08.22.08
Concerning the comments by TJ Hutch & Concerned for USA, I have to say the Commmunist/Socialist model has proven that it is superior in producing olympic gold medalist, but otherwise, little else. True, China is a burgeoning global power, but most of its citizens aren’t benefiting from it’s recent economic growth. Most of all, they still live in repressed, state controlled society. Let them win the gold medals, big deal. I agree that many of our current problems stem from our complacency, but our current downturn can’t be attributed to our system, but instead to the poor leadership we have had for the last decade.
17. Plenty O’Toole | 08.23.08
The Chinese have proven IMO with these Olympic games that they are no longer second class citizens of the world !
They are certainly well on their way to becoming the dominant power of the 21st Century.
The world hopefully can and will learn many positives now and in the future from the Chinese people and their culture that can and will benefit us all !
Xie Xie !
18. Michael Zhu | 08.23.08
Up!!!I am pleased that China have achieved greate complishment.
I And You!!
19. BitchBastard | 08.24.08
Obviously, it is nothing more than a well-prepared show. Zillions and zillions of wealth was spent to superficiality cater to the staggering communist monopoly.
The majority of China have nothing to do with the games despite of troubles and toughness of their own miserable life. The medals are instruments for the nationalists.
Common people would rather care about CPI, stocking, housing, education for children, medical care, etc. Too many overwhelming problems definitely shadow the medals. They only serve as an enormous fig leave for the dirty and grim facts in China.
20. Andrea | 08.24.08
I utterly agree with no. 16. Zigzag. The capitalism system in place in the USA is the right one, and our leadership is to blame for the downturn. IMO, China really is a capitalist system behind the scenes. They are Communist in name only. Yes, they have state controlled sports programs like a communist state, but in little else. As an American American, I look forward quickly to the USA getting back on track. Greetings from San Diego, California, USA
21. peter | 08.24.08
This was the best games I’ve seen yet. I was really impressed with China’s ability to host the games.
Congratulations to the athletes!
22. Tim | 08.25.08
There is nothing wrong for China apply a centralized sports system either the commercialized plus government funding in Western.
23. pshi | 08.26.08
Ref #16:
“… many of our current problems stem from our complacency, but our current downturn can’t be attributed to our system, but instead to the poor leadership we have had for the last decade”
Your comment shows the typical ignorance of Americans. What Thomas Jefferson feared has happened. We need to fundamental abandon the monetary system in this country.
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1. peace4all1 | 08.21.08
As a Chinese American, I’m very proud what Chinese athletes have accomplished. But I’m in agreement with the last statement that many academics in China are pushing for the country to rethink this sports-elite approach.
After this great hull of Gold medals at home, I believe that eventually China will concentrate more on team sports that will help improve the physics of general Chinese population.