China's state sport system has to change
Lijia Zhang says, however, it's no excuse for bias shown to China's Olympians
If you take a quick look at the popular Chinese microblog Sina Weibo, you'll notice a lot of anger: "London, we have not offended you. Why do you treat us so badly?"; "China has been wronged. Where is the justice?"; "In 2008, the Chinese people showed such friendliness towards the Olympians and the visitors. Why is China getting such cold treatment in London?"
These are the reactions to a string of controversies involving Chinese athletes: 16-year-old Ye Shiwen was smeared with doubt about whether she had taken performance-enhancing drugs after winning a gold medal in swimming; Chinese women track cyclists Guo Shuang and Gong Jinjie set two world records but were given only a silver medal instead of the gold they felt they deserved; and, a judge awarded the gold medal to a Brazilian gymnast ahead of Chen Yibing, known as the "king of rings" in China and the favourite for the title.
Such controversies led many Chinese to believe that there was a conspiracy against China at the London Olympics.
I agree that China got a bad press and it didn't deserve that. Partly, China has become the victim of its own sporting success, which has extended into fields traditionally dominated by Westerners - swimming, for example. There is perhaps some jealousy, or at least discomfort, in the West about China's achievements.
So, people instinctively regard super performers like Ye as "cheats" or the product of the ruthless state-sports model copied from the Soviet Union. Under such a system, the government invests huge amounts of money and resources in a few who have the potential to win Olympic gold.
I don't approve of the system, and it would seem I am not the only Chinese to feel this way: on Sina Weibo, between the bursts of anger, there have been plenty of posts questioning whether it is worth spending millions on sports elites just to dazzle the Olympic world, and whether it is worth the suffering endured by the athletes, not only the relentless training but also the emotional cost - children often don't see their families for years.
Still, there is no justification to lash out at the Chinese Olympians because of disapproval of the system. Every Chinese gold medallist won his or her glory on the back of blood and sweat. And many are very talented; China does after all have a huge pool to choose from.