2008 Olympic Medals - Will China Take The Gold?
Back in 2004, I remember very clearly all of the newspapers and news outlets (in China) claiming that China had come in second place in Athens.
This was repeated for months on end, long after the Olympics had ended.
But did China really take second?
Yes, but only if you measure ‘winning’ by gold medals only. China placed just three gold medals behind the US, but 29 and 40 total medals behind Russia and the US.
You can be sure, however, that if China grabs the most gold that it will be seen and presented as an absolute victory by everyone within China.
2008 Olympic Medals Count - Still Way Too Early To Tell
As I’m writing this, China is ahead in the gold medals standing, with four in comparison to the two won by the US, South Korea, and the Czech Republic.
It’s still extremely early, but it is entirely possible that China racks up the most gold medals in the coming weeks.
That’s a pretty exciting feeling.
What do you think - who will bring home the most gold in 2008?
And if China wins the gold medal count, do you think that means they ‘win’ the Olympics?
The question is not measured in gold medal counts, but in the successful management of public perception.
For me the Olympics has always been a tribute to individual achievement.
Making it a state enterprise only trivializes and debases it. Like factories churning out copies of handmade crafts. What’s the point of traveling & buying souvenirs that were made in China? Culture without meaning. I question this path.
Were the pyramids worth the human cost? I doubt it. But there are those who condescend to do that math, in tribute to something that doesn’t even really exist.
Sorry, but this consumer doesn’t buy it.
I don’t know who is going to win, but I know the use of the colour red gives the Chinese team a statistical advantage and should therefor be considered cheating. I posted an article arguing this point on my own blog. (Sorry for plug)
@JH - But China’s rise in the rankings come as it becomes a freer country - sure, there is no lack to state funded sport schools, but this happens everywhere, including America where much of the state funding for education ends up in athletic programs.
It’s just a question of degree.
That’s a funny comment about the ‘handmade crafts’ - a lot of the ones I saw while traveling in Germany were made in China.
@Rhys - Don’t mind a relevant plug, and that’s a funny post though your comment here is misleadingly serious
Your site is blocked, though, so I can’t leave a real comment.
Why is each country not given a total score by allocating a point value to each medal?
Gold = 3
Silver = 2
Bronze = 1
This would settle things would it not? Anyway, my prediction is that things will end up the way they are now… USA will lead in total medals and China will lead in golds. Good for China I say, they deserve it.