The ongoing Rio Olympic Games is probably the most relaxed games ever for China. Chinese audiences are decreasingly seeing medals as the paramount goal, and underperforming athletes are calmer when they end up with unsatisfying results. But in a country where athletes are funded by the government, whether athletes should simply enjoy participation remains controversial.
Halfway through the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, the Chinese national team has only won 15 gold medals, putting it in third place in the gold medal tally, after the U.S. and the UK.
The country came in second place in the medal rankings in 2004 and 2012, and even top in 2008, so this year's haul has upset the sports authorities. Gao Zhidan, vice director for General Administration of Sport of China, said Monday that Team China encountered "unprecedented" challenges and difficulties in Brazil.
However, the Chinese public are not going to share and spread the disappointment this time. When the swimming team landed in China Tuesday, in spite of their less-than-expected performance, they were welcomed with flowers and applause in the airport.
The rise to fame of swimmer Fu Yuanhui shows this new attitude to athletes. Fu might have expected to win some fame if she brought home a gold medal. However, the bronze medalist has become famous in China and across the world for her enthusiasm and candid personality.
Fu made headlines internationally with her charming response to winning a medal in the women's 100-meter backstroke, exclaiming "I'm so fast!"and joking that she used her "prehistoric powers" to win. Later, she admitted that her performance in another event was hampered by the fact she had started her period the night before.
This took many Chinese viewers by surprise, as they are used to their athletes focusing in interviews on their desire to win glory for the country.
This phenomenon would have been hard to imagine four years ago in London. In a country where people have long been gold-medal obsessed, Fu's popularity and the understanding expressed by many about the lack of podium glory on the games' first day and toward the failures of celebrity athletes Sun Yang and Ning Zetao have been seen by some as signs that Chinese audiences now see the Olympics more as entertainment than as a platform for proving China's worth.
But this new attitude has not been accepted by everyone. While many people are circulating emojis that look like Fu and showing sympathy to athletes who didn't get the top spot, some are arguing the public has "overcorrected."
"[They] spare no efforts in praising those irresponsible athletes. The audience for this Olympic Games are severely unqualified in terms of IQ," an author named Chenghuai Laoren wrote in a widely shared WeChat article.
Some maintain that sportspeople whose training is paid for by the public should prioritize winning medals over anything else.
This argument has raised questions over the system by which Chinese athletes are trained, which is entirely reliant on government funds.
"Do we still need the national system right now?" many netizens asked in bewilderment on Sina Weibo.
Entertaining sports
Many people online have said that the athletes at this year's games are lucky to have such a tolerant audience at home.
Swimmer Sun Yang, who was expected to do well and even said he was "the king" before the games, eventually failed to make it to the final of the men's 1,500-meter freestyle, later blaming a cold. But instead of facing anger, he was met with widespread understanding.
"Medals can be won another time, but there is only one Sun Yang. Take care! See you in four years!" one netizen posted on Sina Weibo.
