Don’t forget that China has started claiming that if their athletes test positive for banned performance drugs, its because they are being mistaken for natural chinese medicines.
China has been caught issuing modified passports with fake birthdates for athletes under the age of 16 so they can compete. One of the female gymnists was recently listed on a chinese athlete website as just turning 14 years old. IOC refuses to investigate.
China also had denied visas to the alternatives on the US female gymnastic team and are forcing them to wait in Japan during the games to try to influence the results of the competition they most covet the gold in. No other olympic athletes have been denied visas to enter the country but the heavily favored to win the gold US female gymnastics team.
I don't doubt the main point of your post... but I'd have to say that more Chinese are probably more into table-tennis than gymnastics. Gymnastics is higher profile globally, but if you ask a Chinese person which would be the bigger national shame, failing to hit gold in ping pong or in gymnastics, I'd bet a pizza that they'd pick the former.