PARIS — Everywhere you looked at the 2024 Paris Games, Americans dominated. Team USA sent by far the most athletes. Hordes of stars-and-stripes-clad tourists made the trip across the Atlantic. And celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga became the Games’ cultural icons.
There is one crucial metric in which the United States did not smash the competition, however: gold medals.
Chinese Dominance in Medal Count
On the final day of the Games, China is leading Team USA in the medal table, with 39 golds to America’s 38. (While the American news media typically goes on total medals, most of the rest of the world, including Paris 2024’s official count, bases its table on golds won.)
Whereas Team USA has focused on athletics and swimming, China majors in diving, table tennis, weightlifting, shooting and badminton. In fact, around a fifth of China’s 302 golds since 1984 have come in diving. This year was no different, with China winning every diving gold available. This dominance underscores China’s strategic approach in focusing on certain sports to maximize its gold medal count.
Groundbreaking Achievements in New Disciplines
This year, China is also making breakthroughs in disciplines typically dominated by the U.S., namely swimming. Its two golds here included the 4×100-meter medley, the first time in Olympic history that anyone had beaten the U.S. The diversification and success of China in traditionally American-dominated sports like swimming showcase the country’s evolving athletic prowess.
Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen became the first Asian tennis player to win women’s gold, and China’s winning artistic swimming score blew the U.S. and Spain out of the water. This demonstrates China’s deepening talent pool and increasing competitiveness across a variety of sports.
Challenges and Controversies
China’s newfound prowess in the pool has not come without significant scrutiny, however, after it emerged that 23 swimmers had tested positive for banned heart medication in 2021 but were still allowed to compete. Despite these challenges, China remains committed to its athletic achievements and maintains a strong stance against allegations of doping.
China has also zeroed in on American sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who tested positive for the performance enhancer trenbolone in March but, like the Chinese athletes, was cleared after his own country’s agency said he had eaten contaminated meat. This highlights the complexities and controversies surrounding doping allegations in international sports.
Historical Context and Sporting Strategy
The current American-Chinese Olympic rivalry is part of a geopolitical sporting duopoly that has existed since around 2004. China’s strategic investment in specific sports and continuous support for athletic development have propelled the country into a leading Olympic powerhouse.
Geopolitical Significance
Amid heavy criticism, the IOC said these Games would help revolutionize politics and human rights in what was then the world’s most populous country. That never came. Under President Xi Jinping, China has become more authoritarian, according to Western governments and watchdogs, an assessment that Beijing rejects. The Olympics in China serve as both a display of athletic prowess and a platform for geopolitical narratives.
Nationalistic Pride and Global Influence
Today, all countries see success in the Games as a way to project power internationally. But China takes this to a whole new level, where golds are not only seen as a totem of nationalistic pride, but silvers are often lambasted on Chinese social media. China’s relentless pursuit of Olympic success is intertwined with its aspirations for global influence and national pride.
“The U.S. using its hegemonic influence and power to contain China and other competitors in sports is truly a disgrace and unsportsmanlike,” sports commentator Li Xiang told the hawkish Global Times newspaper Friday. China, on the other hand, “has demonstrated charm and sportsmanship in Paris, as Chinese young athletes win friendship and respect from their rivals and foreign audiences,” Li said.
