Saturday, August 16, 2008
Fifth place is definitely not good enough in China
Interesting report in the Washington Post about how only first place is good enough for the Chinese at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
A Chinese fifth place finisher in the 10m air rifle competition was castigated by her countrymen: ". . . Chinese spectators let her have it. "The state spent so much money on you, provided you with such good facilities, gave you four years to train," one former fan wrote on Tiexue, one of China's biggest online bulletin boards. " . . . You disappoint your countrymen." "
If second place is first loser, then fifth place at the Olympics for the Chinese must be something incredibly horrible.
There are a few (somewhat equivocal) voices of moderation: "The People's Daily said that "losers need more warm support from the society and from all walks of life. A little bit of your encouragement and attention will help them out of the shadow of failure, warm them up, inspire them and make them feel more confident." "
While I'd like to hope those terms "losers" and "failure" for Olympic athletes are the product of a very bad translation, I tend to think they're not.
In general, their attitudes seem to be the antithesis of the Olympic Creed: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
A Chinese fifth place finisher in the 10m air rifle competition was castigated by her countrymen: ". . . Chinese spectators let her have it. "The state spent so much money on you, provided you with such good facilities, gave you four years to train," one former fan wrote on Tiexue, one of China's biggest online bulletin boards. " . . . You disappoint your countrymen." "
If second place is first loser, then fifth place at the Olympics for the Chinese must be something incredibly horrible.
There are a few (somewhat equivocal) voices of moderation: "The People's Daily said that "losers need more warm support from the society and from all walks of life. A little bit of your encouragement and attention will help them out of the shadow of failure, warm them up, inspire them and make them feel more confident." "
While I'd like to hope those terms "losers" and "failure" for Olympic athletes are the product of a very bad translation, I tend to think they're not.
In general, their attitudes seem to be the antithesis of the Olympic Creed: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
Labels: international attitudes
