United States led the table with 126 medals while China equaled the US in gold medals, with each country winning 40.

HISTORY OF CHINESE IN THE OLYMPICS

  • For a long time, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) did not compete in the Olympics as it opposed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recognition of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
  • Most Western, non-communist countries recognised Taiwan as the official representative of China in international arenas then, including the United Nations.
  • In 1979, the same year China established diplomatic ties with the US and ended its recognition of Taiwan, a pact was signed so that both China and Taiwan could compete at the Games.
  • The PRC’s first Summer Olympics was the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where it won 32 medals and 15 of them were gold.
    • Since then, China has been among the top-performing countries at the Olympics.
Its success has been the result of deliberate policies. For the ruling Communist Party too, the event has been seen as key to its global perceptions.

HOW CHINA DEVELOPED WORLD CLASS ATHLETES?

  • China began competing in the Olympics at a time when its economy was undergoing a monumental shift.
    • In 1978, under President Deng Xiaoping, its economy was opened to the world.
    • Before this, large sections of the population struggled with poverty, particularly in non-coastal and rural areas.
  • At an early age, children were encouraged to enroll in sports like gymnastics and table tennis at specialised training institutions.
  • For parents from poorer and rural backgrounds, these centres were attractive options as they provided food and other necessities.
  • While the rigorous training produced results and medals, the pressure on athletes to win “for the country” took its toll on many.
    • There were also cases of state-sanctioned doping.
    • The small odds of success as a professional athlete meant that children, who spent their youth engaged in sports rather than school, often struggled to find alternative career opportunities later in life.