Olympic hangover begins, with China and Hong Kong eyeing greater success in LA
- Morning after brings realisation that preparations for 2028 Games cannot start too soon, while hosts face return of domestic woes
The sporting world came crashing back down to Earth with a collective bump on Monday, ready to shake off the hangover of a two-week Olympic party in Paris and face the realities of what lies ahead.
For France, that was a return to the domestic troubles largely swept under the rug while it played host to the world, for Los Angeles it marked the start of a four-year countdown to staging the next Games, and for mainland China and Hong Kong it was about ensuring the gold and glory won by their teams in the French capital would spur greater success in 2028.
And continuing to loom large over it all is the growing battle between China and the United States, not only in the race to top the medal tables, but in the arguments over doping and the battle for global supremacy.
China finished tied with the US on 40 golds, although the latter ended ahead on total medals won, 126 to 91, and was placed top because it had 44 silvers to its rival’s 27.
On the mainland, the news China had tied for gold medals was trending at the top of Weibo, the country’s main social media website, with more than 660 million reads.
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Shen Yi, professor of international politics at Shanghai’s Fudan University, said China’s success reflected the “growing confrontation between the two countries in the international arena”, and that athletics were an “important means to display national soft power and maintain international image”.
