The Chinese state-run Global Times published an article about the closing of the Olympic Games on the 19th, one day before the closing of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The article is titled 'China won 8 gold medals and the world winter sports got 1.4 billion supporters'.

The subtitle was 'China's role can change the world's winter sports landscape'.

You can get a good glimpse of China's perspective on the Olympic Games.



"The majority of 1.4 billion people watch the Olympics"...

No mention of foreign indifference


Of course, China praised the Olympics as a success.

First, the performance of Chinese players and the high interest of the Chinese were cited as a big harvest.

China has won nine gold medals in this competition by the morning of the 20th.

It broke the previous record (five gold medals) set at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The sports that won gold medals have also diversified, such as skiing, snowboarding, short track, speed skating, and figure skating.

In the meantime, China, despite its huge population of 1.4 billion, has not achieved remarkable results at the Winter Olympics.

After tied for 7th place (5 gold medals, 2 silver medals, 2 bronze medals) at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, 12th place (3 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 2 bronze medals) at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and 16th place (gold medal) at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang 1、Silver Medal 6、Bronze Medal 2) I walked downhill.

China, which had been like this, has risen to 3rd place (9 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 2 bronze medals) as of the 20th in this tournament, so the continent is full of excitement.

The number of gold medals surpassed the United States (8).

If only the Winter Olympics were held, 1.4 billion people, who had been suppressed in their spirits, would be excited.




According to the Global Times, during the first week of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Chinese people watched the Olympic Games for 2 billion hours.

This figure is 15% higher than the combined viewing time of the Chinese during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics combined.

In addition, as a result of a survey of 1,351 people aged 12 to 60 in 12 cities in China, 74% watched the Olympics live using TV or smart devices.

71% watched the Olympic Games via playback and 60% via highlights.

If you add up, 99% of Chinese people said that they saw the Olympics.

Most of the 1.4 billion people watched the Olympics.

Many of the 1.4 billion people said it was their first time seeing the Winter Olympics.



On the other hand, Chinese state media have not commented on the US and other Western countries' indifference.

NBC, which has the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics in the United States, received 12.8 million viewers on the opening day of the event, the lowest level ever.

On the opening day of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago, the number of viewers was less than half of 27.8 million.

The Associated Press diagnosed, "The slump in the Beijing Winter Olympics was foretold due to human rights issues in China and the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Chinese and Korean short track love-hate relationship also contributed to the festive mood"


The Global Times continued to praise.

As if reflecting China's Olympic fever, it was reported that after the Olympic opening ceremony on the 4th, Olympic-related topics swept the search rankings of Chinese social media Weibo.

I used the expression "showing off China's cultural confidence".

In particular, we cite five examples as themes that have made 1.4 billion Chinese in a festive mood over the past two weeks.

A snack recommendation by Gu Ai-Ling (Eileen Koo), a two-time freestyle skier, a gold medal by snowboarding prodigy Sui-Ming, a jump challenge by Japanese figure skater Hanyu, and the contest for Olympic mascot Bing-Dun-Dun. track team's love-hate relationship.

We also introduced the reaction of citizens to short track races, such as "It was really exciting" and "I knew that not only speed but also team strategy and arrangement were important."




This is not the first time the media has used the term 'love-hate relationship' for the short track race between Korea and China.

In an article on the 12th, it was reported that "China and Korea have enjoyed a love-hate relationship as the two powerhouses in the short track."

It was a time when anti-Chinese sentiment reached its peak due to a series of biased judgments against Korean players.

At the time, the article contained a critical content that "Korean players do not adapt to the changed short track rules and often commit fouls because they do not give up the habit of tormenting opponents", but this time it was expressed only as a relatively 'dry' love-hate relationship.

He seems to have decided that there is no need to provoke the opponent in the circumstances of closing the Olympics.

Even so, expressing that 'competition with Korea is one of the factors for the success of the Olympics' leaves a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste.

It still seems inconsiderate to express 'the atmosphere of a festival' without any mention of bias or home advantage, and without considering the loss and anger that the player or the people of the opposing country may have felt.



"Winter sports have traditionally been expensive and enjoyed in developed countries, but 1.4 billion people with relatively limited ice and snow who have just escaped poverty are starting to take an interest in winter sports," the article said. 's success is the success of people around the world."

It remains to be seen whether or not this is truly a global success.

Rather, it seems that the Chinese authorities need to humbly look back to see if foreign views on China have gotten worse.