The biggest slice of the gold medal cake went to the host China. Glorious enough to make the host country proud, but not enough to transform China into the strongest sports nation.
China raked in about a sixth of the Olympic gold medals on offer, topping the gold medal rankings with 51.
The Chinese Olympians defended their supremacy in traditional disciplines like weightlifting, gymnastics, badminton and table tennis, and won 13 "bonus golds" with breakthroughs in weak disciplines like boxing, fencing and archery.
"This is China's best result in all Olympics," said Liu Peng, China's sports chief, "Our 639 athletes demonstrated great sportsmanship in their home Games."
No complacency is encouraged though, Liu said. "The results are good, but at the same time, we have to keep a cool head. There is still a fair amount of distance between us and other athletes who showed high standards," he said. He was not being humble.
Look at the other side of the figures, China is still 10 medals short of the United States in the total medal tally, which says a lot more about the overall sport strength. In blue ribbon events like athletics and swimming, Chinese athletes barely shone except the only swimming gold medallist Liu Zige. In popular sports like the ball games, only the women's volleyball squad made the podium. And China is devoid of star athletes like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. Its sole hero-status athlete Liu Xiang pulled out of the men's 110 meter hurdles because of injuries.
"Although we did win medals in some disciplines, our strengths are not as consolidated, and the structure was unbalanced," Liu said.
No intention to sour the triumphant ambience, but the cluster of golds can't catapult China into the strongest sports nation status.
China held its first national sports games in 1959, about 10 years after the founding of the new China. The latest survey shows there are about more than 850,000 sports venues across the country, but the per capita sports venue and grounds is 1.04 square meters, far less than the 19 sq. meters in Japan. The country's vast rural population still lack access to sports facilities.
In schools, sports have not figured importantly in heavy academic schedules either, although middle school students have to do enough sit-ups or push-ups in one minute or run 800 meters within a stipulated time to be able to graduate.
For competitive sports, the nation-led training scheme produced the world's best athletes, but slacked in providing impetus to the general public. Only a small number of talented athletes are selected and put through intensive hard training to get medals.
"China has groomed enough elite athletes to take the golds, but its overall strength in sports is still far less developed than other nations," said Zhong Bingshu, vice president of the Beijing Sport University.
Qiao Liang, a Chinese coach for American Shawn Johnson, gold medallist in the balance beam, sees the comparison. "A lot of the people in the States take up gymnastics for fun, but in China, it's all about professionals. There is no such firm base to produce the best," he said.
Zhong said the scheme is not likely to be overhauled after the Games, as people still want to see athletes winning medals. "It takes time for the gold medal cravings to cool down. It will not be an instant face-lift, but a gradual process," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2008)