Predictable gold medals
There are some gold medals in these Olympics which are so easy to predict that it's surprising that the medal ceremony isn't held before the Games begin so as to get it all out of the way.
There are four medal events in the table tennis - and China expects to win every single one of them. Ping-pong is, of course, this country's national sport (I've spent many happy hours being routinely slaughtered at the table tennis table by Chinese players of all ages).
In some ways, the Olympic Games have come to Beijing because of ping pong. In 1971, an American table tennis team was invited to play a tournament in Beijing - they were the first Americans officially allowed to visit China's capital since the Communist Revolution of 1949. The visit was a success (helped, of course, by the fact that China won the tournament). This original bit of ping-pong diplomacy opened the way for President Nixon to visit Beijing a year later. After that, the path was set. A few years later China opened up to the world - and the Beijing Olympics are the end result.
So, for China, table tennis is at the heart of these Games. Its three male and three female players each happen to be ranked one, two and three in the world (which means that getting a place on the Chinese Olympic team is often much harder than competing at the actual Games themselves).
One Chinese player never had any problems qualifying, competing, or winning. Deng Yaping won four Olympic gold medals (women's singles and doubles at the '92 and '96 Games).
"What was your killer shot?" I asked her recently.
"Forehand," she laughed, swishing a bat semi-ferociously in the air, "Only three people could return it."
Deng Yaping is one of the most famous athletes in China. She retired more than a decade ago at the age of 24 and then went on to study in Britain - where she gained a doctorate at Cambridge Universtity (not that her CV needed any padding).
She's currently in charge of the Olympic village in Beijing (where she ensured that the 7ft tall basketball players were given extra-long beds). Deng Yaping will be in the crowd for the ping pong.
"There's great pressure on all the Chinese athletes," she said, "because they want to perform better. But at the same time they get more supporters from the audience and the Chinese people. I think great athletes don't mind who cheers - they concentrate on one thing - competition."
Just in case any of you need to know, how should an athlete go about winning an Olympic gold medal (or four)?
"Winning a gold is not simple," she said, "I think that self-improvement is important. You have to control yourself very well. Don't get too excited. Because some are young, they can't control themselves too well. They have to save their energy."
Let's see if China's current players follow her tips.
I’m 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~35~RS~)
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
If you include table tennis, why not snooker??
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It sure ain't sport. It's an indoor pastime like tiddlywinks or darts.
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Surely there is seven medals? Mens Team, Womens Team, Mens Singles, Womens Singles, Mens Doubles, Womens Doubles, Mixed Doubles??
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Because Table Tennis requires quick reactions, athleticism and physical stamina. Snooker does not. Table Tennis can at least claim to have a passing association with the Olympic motto, snooker can not.
That's why not.
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This is the most neutral post I've seen in this blog. Respectable work.
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Do you know where i could find a list or table outlining British Olympic Champions between 1896-2008?
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oops, American players were NOT invited for a tournament in Beijing in 1971, James. They were attending a world championship in Japan and got the surprising invitation during the tournament. They only had some "friendly" matches during their visit in China.
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The entire games included in the Olympics needs revision I truly think.
For example Squash is much more physical than ping pong or tennis for that matter and I play both.
Anyone who plays serious Squash will attest to the sheer physicality of it
Only rowing exhausted me to the same degree.
There are 35 so called disciplines and 400 hundred events
We need to trim down as its getting unweildy.
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Table tennis is most definitely a sport, as anyone who has played it in any way seriously will testify! It has tremendously fast action and incredible skill levels (a smash will be hit faster than a fast bowler in cricket can bowl the ball and is received from a much smaller distance than a cricket ball). It is also a lot more tiring than most couch potatos would imagine when played properly.
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4. At 4:52pm on 12 Aug 2008, mofluk-123 wrote:
Surely there is seven medals? Mens Team, Womens Team, Mens Singles, Womens Singles, Mens Doubles, Womens Doubles, Mixed Doubles??
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Nah, only Mens/Womens singles and doubles in the Olympics. No teams and mixed doubles.
Sometimes I find it a bit boring to watch the table tennis games, coz very often both players in the finals are Chinese. Not that I don't want my countrymen to win, it's just that competition with other countries adds more fun and uncertainties into the games. So it's good that increasing numbers of players around the world come and train in China and Chinese coaches go working for teams in other countries.
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Wow, the first report with no attempt of politicising. Well done!
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James,
I found myself wanting to thank you for an "objective" reporting for a change. What do you call that? Stockholm Syndrome?
Most Chinese in China and overseas don't mind constructive criticisms. But they are offended by the nitpickings and blatant double standards shown by the Western media. The West and his "friends" can get away with murder, but we have to be perfect!
Elsewhere, police shot that many protesters in Kasmir. Why no uproar?! Oh, it did not occur in China. That's why.
If Western journalists dislike China that much, they should transfer to that big southern neigbour. I'm sure they will love staying in that democratic utopia very much.
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Haha, James does not express his own assumption or does not make personal comments any more. Simply tell the story. To me this is the right professional for a journalist: pass the information to reader objectivly, let them to make judgement.
I thought today you will tell something of the little girl mimed the song at the opening ceremony. You should write one article of it really. This is ugly part of modern Chinese culture. I do not like this.
Wake up Chinese, to be respected, you must be honest!!!
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"Because Table Tennis requires quick reactions, athleticism and physical stamina. Snooker does not. Table Tennis can at least claim to have a passing association with the Olympic motto, snooker can not."
Motor racing satisfies those requirements. But that would be silly of course. Like horse riding. With pistol and trap shooting, and archery in the Olympics there's hardly a case against snooker or darts.
Back to the holy Olympic requirements; why not cricket then? And why stop at one cricket competition? 20-20, One Day, 5 day; men and women's in all three of course too.
Rugby also satisfies those requirements, as much as any sport; there should be League and Union, Sevens, and touch, both sexes too.
Second thoughts, better not if we're ever going to overhaul the Aussies in a medal table.
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Has andrewthomas10 ever played table tennis? I think not, judging by his ridiculous comparison of the game with tiddlywinks and darts.
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James, Just a general comment after reading some of your posts. I notice many readers are critical of your reports, as if one reporter could provide a completely circumspect account. Certainly, I read your accounts along with many others (on Chinese English sites as well), and I find your blog to be one of the most considered out there.
Others have criticized you for not speaking Mandarin--I'm not sure they understand the job of an international journalist. In addition, I have read many posts from China that say even if you have been in China for decades and speak fluent Mandarin, you cannot really know what's going on because you are not Chinese. Certainly, that is a tall order!
Keep up the good work.
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Nice report.
A big relief from me cuz I expected u would write something in the usual way.
Let's hope there will be no surprise.
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Table tennis is a great TV sport but it just doesn't get the coverage in the UK. Also its a bit silly saying the medals have already been awarded, no medals are predictable as no one knows what can happen on the day of the final.
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Table tennis requires a lot of skill to play well, and inexpensive to hold. Sports that should go are the equestrian, Its supposed to be human endeavour and the horse plays too important a part. soccer, which is a non event compared to world and European cups.. TENNIS what a joke, Andy Murray beaten by a no name. Beach Vollyball for the ogglers.
Eyeswiredopen N.Z
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I am sure Forest Gump could show them a thing or two
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It's not correct to say that Deng Yaping never had any problems qualifying for anything. She was considered by the national team coaches to be too short (under 5' I think). She only managed to get into the squad by beating all the national team.
Also, the events are Men's + Women's team events and Men's and Women's singles (to correct #11 above).
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Guys, this is a BLOG, not an official news report.
James is free to express his own personal views. I say he has done a brilliant job of recreating the atmosphere of the current Chinese political and social climate. Good work JR!!
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24. At 11:54am on 13 Aug 2008, EuroCommuter wrote:
Also, the events are Men's + Women's team events and Men's and Women's singles (to correct #11 above).
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Oops, my bad :D
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Well James, somehow the cynicism toward the Chinese dominance of TT in your post made me question the objectivity of reportage.
I guess with your statement of how the table tennis medals are sure shots for the Chinese team, you seem to have inadvertently discredited the efforts of every other country participating in this event, with hopes of upsetting the Chinese dominance. As well as hyping up the prospect of a smug shrug from you should China not sweep the golds as predicted. Have the Chinese TT athletes tested positive for doping, genetic enhancements or use of some new fangled paddle? If not, shouldn't due credit be accorded to those who have put in the effort in training? Notwithstanding whether they hail from western democracies or authoritarian states...
Just my two cents following the slew of China bashing coming out recently.
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The Yahoo Medal count shows the USofA leading China with 31 medals against Chinas 30. Horrors!!! What gives???
Oh! Medal count includes silver and bronze... Not only GOLD!!!
Is this Yahoo's way of saving face for the Yanks? Another way of massaging the statistics... Three Cheers for America!!!
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James:
great report about gold medals!
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Yahoo and CNN massaging of statistics to show the US leading China in overall medal tally (as opposed to the conventional of tallying them according to the number of gold medals) should not come as a surprise to anyone.
As I recall, the western media, including CNN and BBC, fabricated facts during their reporting of the recent Tibetan riots. Photos of Nepali and Indian police beating Tibetan protestors were presented as examples of Chinese police in acts of suppression.
Gosh, can it be that these reporters didn't go to school to study basic geography? The Americans can be forgiven because the low quality of their education is legendary. There one can get a degree even in basket-weaving.
The British have less of an excuse. They once governed India. How can they not be able to tell the difference between Indians and Nepali on the one hand, and Chinese on the other? Can it be that editors deliberately mislead in their readers/viewers because of a larger conspiracy to malign China, a conspiracy based in no small way on the rise of China and the decline of the West.
To this day, no satisfactory explanation has been offered on this monumental mis-identification of people.
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