Cooled passion for gold medals

China successfully held the 2008 Beijing Olympics and stayed on top of the medal table, igniting a new wave of national pride four years ago. Although China still has a target firmly fixed in its sights for this year's Olympic Games, Chinese people now seem less enthusiastic about the medals, while contemplating the transformation of the country's sports system, says an article in 21st Century Business Herald. Excerpts:

The somewhat cooled passion of Chinese people for the top spot of the gold medal table shows their evolving view toward the Games. Harvesting gold medals was once a key way for Chinese people to boost their sense of national pride. This is particularly true, considering that the Chinese nation is proud of its glorious past and eager to fend off the modern history, during which the country was subjected to foreign oppression and mocked as the "sick man of East Asia".

The gold medals were thus to a certain extent an honor savior, something China could hold on to. Over the past decades, China has been steadily reviving its glory on the global stage, but in the Games, China is now no longer satisfied with being a medal hunter to prove its strength. This is not just about sports. As China has become the world's second-largest economy, people hail the economic growth while giving more thought to the country's long-held economic growth model.

Despite the country's increasing global influence, Chinese people nowadays show more interest in domestic affairs, such as sustainable economic development and social disparity. No wonder then, that when there is burst of applause for gold medals every day, there are also louder voices calling for abandoning the gold-medal-first thinking.

However, at a time when China begins to look beyond the gold medals, Western media are focusing on the gold medal competition between China and other sports powerhouses, especially the United States.

This is understandable, considering China is striding into some areas, swimming events for instance, which are traditionally dominated by Western countries. More importantly, China's growing economic, political and military influence in the international community made the external world watch every step China takes and every achievement it attains. The Games are no exception.

Even so, we have to admit that sport is perhaps the only aspect of the cultural arena that China is currently capable of competing with a cultural powerhouse like the US. For this reason, the Chinese government will continue to attach great importance to winning gold medals in all world events. Nevertheless, now with more and more people calling for a transformation of the national sports system, China should consider phasing in reform measures to orient the sports system to the general public and in a business direction. This is essential amid the national efforts to promote its soft power globally.