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.
Ping-pong might be a sentimental favorite, but the gymnastics competition, male and female, but especially female, is the premier event China covets for national pride over anything else at the olympics for many years now. Samething with the Russians. Everything revolves around their gymnist programs when it comes to the olympics. If the chinese don’t win the majority of the medals in the all-around and individual gymnatics events, they will consider the entire olympics a failure.
The chinese are very good in the diving competitions and a few other events, but when it comes to gymnastics, they take it to psychotic levels of national pride.
They are in a panic because the american squad of girls are considered even more talent thick than the gold-winning “magnificent seven” from the 1996 olympics.
Its four leading team members which include the #1 and #2 ranked females in the world: Shawn Johnson #1, Nastia Liukin #2, Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Sacramone have combined to win 25 medals in world competition and beat the Chinese at the worlds last year.