For China, sportsmanship trumps gold medals

In a recent report about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the New York Times described the Chinese team as pursuing "the most golds, at any cost". They even claimed silver or bronze medals "do not count" for Chinese athletes.

Had they the most basic knowledge about China, they would know better than to say this. On Sunday, Chinese athlete Su Bingtian created a buzz by setting a new Asian record for men's 100-meter race, yet he ranked sixth in the final and finished without any medal.

On Monday, the Chinese female volleyball team finished their last match this Olympics. They got no medal, yet social networks were full of messages welcoming them home and showing their respect.

On Wednesday, Chinese athlete Xin Xin ranked eighth in female marathon swimming. She got no medal and expressed her disappointment on her micro blog, but her comment section was filled with people sending "flowers" and thanking her. People's Daily published a comment saying Xin has not disappointed anybody.

There are many more examples, but the NYT turned a blind eye to all of them. Gold is good, but it would be just fine without them — Chinese people cherish athletes' spirit more than any one result.

Despite all this, the US still lags behind China in terms of gold medals. Maybe the NYT is hoping blaming China can become an Olympic event.