Chinese taste different side of Olympics
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E-mail China Daily, July 10, 2012
Snatching top prizes in the London Olympics is the number one task for Chinese athletes, but the concerns of Chinese people have gradually transferred from prizes to the charm of sporting competition.
The nation's desire for gold medals had been fulfilled in the 2008 Olympic Games, when China set a historic record of 51 gold medals, said Ren Hai, professor at the Beijing Sport University.
"After the Beijing Olympics, the general public tends to appreciate the beauty of sports more," he said.
Some games, even without the participation of a Chinese team, also attract a lot of fans in China, such as the European Football Championships and the World Cup.
A survey of what the Chinese people think of gold medals at the London Games will be conducted by Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics during the July 27-Aug 8 London Olympics.
The university's vice-president Yi Jiandong believes the final result is very likely to be different from what Chinese sports authorities' claim that people will say no if Chinese team get fewer medals.
Although Chinese people's notion on sports has been changed, it is still difficult for them to transfer from viewers to participants, because the current situation is still unable to assure that.
"We should pay more attention and provide necessary support to mass sports and the popularization of youth sports," Ren said. "It is a vital step on China's road from a big sporting country to a powerful one."
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