Chinese divers bag gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. (Photo : Getty Images)
China won the gold medal for the women's volleyball at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, bringing pride to the Chinese public amid reports that the country had a disappointing performance at the sporting event.
On Monday, Chinese media Global Times revealed how Chinese sporting fans are filled with a sense of pride after their women's volleyball team got first place, bringing their overall gold medal count to 26.
This is amid a question from media outlets such as CNN as to whether Rio 2016 saw China's worst performance in the history of the Olympic Games.
Disappointing Performance
Described by CNN as a nation with an "obsession for gold," China appears to have had a difficult time during the 2016 Rio Olympics where the country ended in third place after Great Britain overtook them in the overall medal count.
As of the writing of this article, Team China's total medal count is at 70 with 26 golds, tailing the United States which has 46 gold medals out of 121 and Great Britain with 27 out of 67.
In the previous Summer Olympic Games eight years ago in Beijing, China set a record-breaking 51 gold medals bringing analysts and experts to question whether the country has gotten over its "obsession" over the glitz and glamour of winning.
"We agree that winning gold is not the only benchmark, but we also recognize the Olympic motto is faster, higher and stronger after all," China's sports minister Liu Peng said in Rio on Sunday.
Liu admitted that their defeat in the Games had primarily been due to "challenges and difficulties" they faced in Rio and vowed that the Chinese athletes will continue to improve in the events to come.
"We are behind in studying new ideas and trends in the fast-developing world of competitive sports along with their training and management. Our Rio mission was basically accomplished," he added.
Pride and Nationalism
Even in third place, China is still filled with pride and joy for its athletes who feel a sense of nationalism as they did their best during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
According to the Global Times, this was all because of the success of the Chinese women's volleyball team who reached for a much-needed victory before the Games ended.
"They became the country's heroines which inspired a whole generation, won great confidence for the country in the early stages of the opening-up and reform," Beijing Sport University Olympic studies expert Ren Hai told the Global Times.
