A mere bronze? How the medal fanatics of Chinese state TV humiliated poor Tan, the pistol crackshot

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 16th August 2008 | Ian Gallagher

[PotatoHeadMick]

Pity poor Tan Zongliang, the latest victim of China Central Television’s relentless demand for perfection.

Before its interrogators got to him, Tan was feeling fairly pleased with himself.

After failing at three previous Olympics, he had just won his first medal, a bronze in the men’s 50m pistol competition.

He had forgotten, though, that every time a competitor secures anything less than gold for the Motherland, a CCTV journalist is dispatched to find out what went wrong – and if a self-flagellating apology is elicited in the process, then so much the better.

[PotatoHeadMick]

China, nice country.

[Army Air Corps]

Pei-Ping.

[Army Air Corps]

Man, a televised self-criticism session. This sucks on toast.

[South40]

[Farmer Dean]

Let the Chinese politicians try their hand at the 50 meter firing line if they think it’s easy.The furthest most of them ever shot a pistol is about 8 inches into the back of someone’s head.

[Secret Agent Man]

I’d like to see this picture with the slogan “Kids are Burdens” on it. I like this one too.

[DBrow]

The government uses the media to enforce policy and punish people with shame?

Glad we don’t have a party that tries to do that here. ‘Course if we did they’d never get votes.

[Little Pig]

Also, and this is based on my admittedly-minimal research, the huge total of Golds for the Chinese is due in part to their entering athletes in venues where the US is not competing, or the sport is highly obscure and not likely to attract attention. It’s easy to beat your next best competitor when they’re from some third-world banana republic.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that in cases where the Chinese have gone up against the US in less-publicized sports, the judges have been “encouraged” to favor the Chinese, particularly in those sports where the results depend on the opinion of the judges rather than an obvious demarcation.

[Wacka]

Also, the host country automatically gets their athletes qualified in every sport. Watched a show on PBS about the former major league pitcher Jim Lefebvre managing the Chinese Olympic team.

[Dianna]

The Chinese have deliberately cultivated athletes for each event, specifically for these games. They looked at where they were weak or nonexistent last time and beefed up their programs to look good at home.

Aside from it being decided and manipulated by the government, it isn't a bad strategy.

[I still care]

Actually, the regular folk are onto it. It’s so obvious how the Chinese are manufacturing their medals in athletic factories. It’s been really obvious in the ‘womens’ gymnastics, where they have a bunch of underage kids competing that were all removed from their families at age 3 and made into little automatons.

Rush pointed it out, thousands of people all looking and acting and smiling alike.

My son and I watched a medal event where China got a bronze. He said, ‘I guess they are going to take her out in back and shoot her now’.

The only ones who don’t get it are the NBC Olympic commentators. I don’t know if they put a memo out “Don’t diss the Chinese” or what, but they keep putting the best smiley face on things that creep me out.

[Political Junkie Too]

They looked at where they were weak or nonexistent last time and beefed up their programs to look good at home.

They also looked at the sports where an individual can win multiple golds. That way, they can get more medals for the investment.

-PJ

[I still care]

I noticed they have a lot of medals in weightlifting.

I remember the East Germans, how they had official doping programs. Because it was all done with government backing, they got away with it. Now, of course, all those women treated with hormones are sick and dying.

I look at the little Chinese girls in the gymnastics and think the same thing. Most of them look half starved. Remember they were all taken away from their parents and raised by the state. And I DO believe they are too young.

Back to the weightlifting. I’m wondering if they have been on a nice program, similar to the East Germans...

[LowOiL]

Nothing like being spit on for doing your best. God help those poor people survive.

[I still care]

Well, well. I was looking for an article on the East German doping scandals, and found this little tidbit:

“During the 1970s and ‘80s, East Germany’s huge doping program produced legions of highly successful, but oddly mannish female swimmers and track stars. In 1976, the year the Olympics started drug testing, East Germany bagged 11 of 13 women’s swimming medals.”

“After the Berlin Wall fell, some East German sports doctors moved to China. In the 1994 Rome Olympics, Chinese women swimmers accepted 12 gold medals at ceremonies while onlookers protested by waving syringes. Twenty seven Chinese women have flunked drug tests since 1990, more than the total from all other nations.”

[indcons]

Great post

I wonder why our resient ChiCom trolls and the useful idiots that post in favor of China because they “love Chinese food” are quiet on these threads.

[indcons]

Ping

[reformed_dem]

I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that in cases where the Chinese have gone up against the US in less-publicized sports, the judges have been “encouraged” to favor the Chinese, particularly in those sports where the results depend on the opinion of the judges rather than an obvious demarcation.

I personally believe that was done in diving and gymnastics. The Chinese were scored higher and didn't seem to get the same deduction others got. They were very good in diving, but I do believe they were overscored. In women's all-around gymnastics, they were overscored too, but even with that edge, the US took gold and silver.