Team China Showcases Confidence, Friendship, Unity at Paris Olympics

By Yang Sheng

Aug 09, 2024 12:38 AM

Members of the Chinese delegation attend the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 26, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

At the Paris Olympic Games, Team China has showcased confidence, friendship and unity by paying tribute to the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger -- Together" with their best competitive state and many heartwarming moments, analysts said. 

In contrast, the lingering doubts over the doping case of American Olympic sprinter Erriyon Knighton is causing concerns but the US has turned a blind eye to its own athletes who violated the rules while busy accusing the China Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of "covering up the truth" and demanding sanctions against Chinese athletes. The US' domineering attitude of "I can only check you, but you are not allowed to check me" shows a hegemonic mindset, analysts said. 

WADA responded to a Reuters story of Wednesday local time exposing a scheme whereby the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) allowed athletes who had doped, to compete for years, in at least one case without ever publishing or sanctioning their anti-doping rule violations, in direct contravention of the WADA and USADA's own rules. 

This USADA scheme threatened the integrity of sporting competition, which the anti-doping code seeks to protect. By operating it, USADA was in clear breach of the rules. Contrary to the claims made by USADA, WADA did not sign off on this practice of permitting drug cheats to compete for years on the promise that they would try to obtain incriminating evidence against others, according to the statement published by WADA on Wednesday.

"WADA is now aware of at least three cases where athletes who had committed serious anti-doping rule violations were allowed to continue to compete for years while they acted as undercover agents for USADA, without it notifying WADA and without there being any provision allowing such a practice under the Code or USADA's own rules," said the WADA statement.

Li Xiang, a sports commentator who is covering the Olympic Games in Paris, told the Global Times on Thursday that the friction with WADA has shown that Team USA is not clean at all, and this makes those groundless accusations launched by the US authorities, media and some individuals against China and other countries on the doping issue even more unconvincing. Li said the US using its hegemonic influence and power to contain China and other competitors in sports is truly a disgrace and unsportsmanlike.

In any field that used to be dominated by the US, once Chinese or other countries' athletes make history and even break world records, the US will launch all-out campaign to stigmatize its competitors, weaponize its influence, conduct long-arm jurisdiction against its challengers, and this situation will likely become a new normal in the coming years, Shen Yi, a professor on international relations at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

According to the New York Times on Thursday, US Congress has threatened to cut funding for the WADA. The Justice Department and the FBI have opened criminal investigations into how the WADA tests were handled. 

Clearly, the US, just like what it has always done in the UN and other fields like international trade disputes or sci-tech rivalry, will use all it has, including sanctions, bans, boycotts, stigmatizations, war of words, long-arm jurisdiction and so on, to contain its competitor and defend its hegemony, Li said. 

Apart from the doping issue, the US also has tension with other countries' teams in Paris. According to CNN on Wednesday, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is refusing to attend the Olympics closing ceremony in protest over the women's floor exercise final earlier this week in which two Romanian gymnasts did not make the medal stand due to controversial judgement that favored US gymnasts.

China: friendship and unity

Team China, which now ranks NO.2 on the medal list, has demonstrated charm and sportsmanship in Paris, as Chinese young athletes win friendship and respect from their rivals and foreign audiences. 

According to the Xinhua News Agency, Spanish badminton player Carolina Marin thanked He Bingjiao for her heartwarming gesture - showcasing a Spain pin on the medal podium.

Marin, leading the semifinal against He midway through the second game of the match, was forced to withdraw due to a serious knee injury, which sent her rival into the final. Although He only won silver, she showed in the medal ceremony that she had not forgotten Marin by showing a badge of the Spanish flag to the cameras.

Marin returned to Spain on Monday, where tests showed the 31-year-old has torn the cruciate knee ligament in her right knee for the second time in her career. She thanked He for her podium gesture.

"The moment on the podium is one of the kindest gestures I have ever had toward me and I will always be incredibly grateful," she wrote, adding that she had "never received as much affection and support.'' 

Another moment that demonstrated true Olympic spirit was when the table tennis players from China, North Korea, and South Korea stood together on the podium and happily took a selfie on July 30. 

In the mixed doubles table tennis final at the Paris Olympics, the Chinese duo Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha defeated the North Korean team 4-2 to win the gold medal. The North Korean team took silver, while the South Korean team won bronze. 

After the match, Chinese athlete Sun Yingsha organized a selfie with athletes from China, North Korea, and South Korea to commemorate the moment, CCTV reported. 

Sports competitions are typically seen as contests between nations, but in this touching moment, they showcased the friendship and unity among athletes, analysts said.