On August 24, 2008, China, the hosts of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, topped the medal tally with an astonishing 100 medal tally. This was the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, that the Americans had been eclipsed as the number one sporting nation. The Chinese contingent won a staggering 51 gold medals, 15 more than the American athletes.
Since the inception of the Olympic Games in 1896, the USA has always been among the top 3 medal-winning contingents and has finished on top numerous times. At times, the American contingent has won nearly twice as many gold medals as the second-place team. But this was the trend until China began to participate in the Olympic Games.
Going back to the 1984 Olympics, after its first participation in 1952, China has slowly worked its way to the top of the medal tally. From winning 5 medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, China won 51 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Also, for the first time since the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the US had boycotted, a country it had eclipsed the US in the number of gold medals won.
While the USA’s gold medal count has been the same (36) in the past three Olympic Games, China has continually improved its performance, nearly doubling its gold medal count (28) from the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. This is the result of the no-nonsense approach to sports, taken by the Chinese establishment. Hiring the best foreign coaches, training local coaches and detecting talent at an early age have been regular initiatives of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). Athletes and coaching staff are provided with the best training facilities and regular exposure at international events, to develop and test their skills.
Over the past decade, China has not only continued its supremacy in the sports it has traditionally dominated; but he has also ventured into sports that were once considered a stronghold of the US and Europe. China has embraced disciplines such as gymnastics, diving and shooting, once dominated by Russia. They left with 23 gold medals, in these 3 categories alone, a record at the 2008 Olympics. At the same time, Chinese athletes have returned with gold medals in disciplines like weightlifting and shooting, which were hitherto strongholds. from Eastern Europe.
China has fielded their teams in Baseball and Basketball, which has been a clinched gold medal for the US so far. The performance of the Chinese baseball team in its debut at the 2008 Games did not have much to write about. Also, the basketball team hasn’t made any breakthrough so far. Despite all this, it seems that China will surely win a medal in these sports, in the next Games. Many Chinese players are seen plying their trade, in the NBA and American League Baseball, to improve their game by playing with the best. In fact, many Chinese players have become a big draw for American baseball and basketball teams.
Another interesting development has been China’s foray into somewhat forgotten sports at the Olympics. For example, the women’s tennis doubles event has rarely seen top tennis stars participate. China very cleverly fielded two teams in this discipline at the 2004 Athens Olympics and came back with a gold medal.
It doesn’t stop here. China has been building and fielding strong teams in other disciplines such as swimming, cycling, archery and hockey. In fact, China came back with medals in all these disciplines at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On top of all this, Chinese dominance in sports such as badminton, table tennis, judo and taekwondo continues. Everything points to the systematic efforts made by China to establish itself as a sports superpower, surpassing the US.
Compare this to the tally of 1 gold medal and 2 bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
India!!! Are we listening?
