There are a lot of outstanding questions about exactly how the 2022 Beijing Olympics might look and, to be frank, there is still a lot that’s unknown – largely because the organizers haven’t made or announced their final decisions. But things are starting to take shape and – despite the uncertainty that COVID-19 clearly brings – there is a fair amount we can be confident about.
Continue reading Bursting The Bubble: What We Know About the 2022 Olympics
US Comeback Tops Strong Chinese Challenge in Tokyo
Wow.
Apologies for the slight delay in getting this out, but I needed to lie down in a cold, dark room after that frantic finish to the Olympics (and overdosing on Twitter). Going into the final day, we still didn’t know which team was going to come out on top of the medals table. But the US completed a comeback to snatch the win at the death – 39 golds to 38 – despite a tremendous performance from China over 16 days of fierce competition.
Like many others, I had assumed beforehand it would be a fairly comfortable win for the US overall – China, remember, couldn’t even beat Great Britain at the last Olympics in Rio – so when China jumped out into an early lead, it was just a matter of time until the US came fighting back, right? Not exactly…
Continue reading US Comeback Tops Strong Chinese Challenge in Tokyo
China Still Out in Front After First Week at Tokyo Olympics
In this week’s Olympic round-up, I will go over all the golds that China has won so far, up to the end of Day 8. I’ll start with the golds (from most to least per sport), because that’s what China cares about, even if we get periodic messages from the leadership about moving away from a “win at all costs” mentality. In fact, it feels more like we’re moving back towards that gold obsession these days.
Then I’ll look at some other good performance, as well as some disappointments, and finish with a few other developments – including some significant Winter Olympic news and the launch of the China Sports Insider podcast!
Continue reading China Still Out in Front After First Week at Tokyo Olympics
China On Target in Early Running at Tokyo Olympics
In this week’s Olympic round-up:
- Two early gold medals for China kick off Day 1
- Chinese reaction to the Opening Ceremony
- Tentative start on the pitch for China
- A round-up of China’s main Olympic medal contenders for Tokyo
- All the other features and stories of interest
China Tasked with Olympic Rebound, as COVID Dominates Tokyo Build-up
In this week’s Olympic round-up:
- IOC President calls Japanese people “Chinese”
- China’s largest ever delegation to “go all out”, as uniforms ridiculed
- COVID fears hamper Team China build-up in Tokyo
- China predicted to finish second in medal table
- Beijing 2022 preparations “on track”, but outlook remains uncertain
- The latest Beijing Olympics boycott talk
- All the other features and stories of interest
Tokyo Chaos Lowers Bar for Beijing 2022 – and That’s a Shame
In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:
- What Tokyo’s ban on Olympic spectators means for Beijing
- Record Chinese delegation set for Tokyo, as individual sports announces their teams
- NHL players hold firm with their desire to play in the Olympics
- Team China hockey rosters starting to take shape
- The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
- All the other features and stories of interest
NHL Players Could Miss Out On Olympics As Deadline Looms
In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:
- NHL’s decision on Beijing Olympics comes down to the wire
- Team China lining up “heritage players” despite contract standoff
- Japan, Australia block China’s route to World Cup qualification
- Men’s basketball team misses Olympics for first time since 1984
- The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
- All the other features and stories of interest
Sun Yang Banned for 4+ Years, Will Miss Tokyo Olympics
In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:
- Chinese swimmer gets ban of 4 years and 3 months at doping retrial
- Soccer star Li Ying comes out as lesbian
- IOC member hails China’s winter sports progress with some dubious stats
- Commemorative stamps released for 2022 Winter Olympics venues
- Golfers set for Tokyo, Zhang makes history at Wimbledon
- The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
- All the other features and stories of interest
China Inches Closer to Unlikely World Cup Berth
In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the 2022 Olympics and elsewhere:
- China is into the third round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying
- WTA set to decide on the future of China tournaments for this year
- Peter Hessler’s bizarre take on the Chinese skiing industry
- Eileen Gu Ailing nominated for an ESPY Award
- Chinese diver to compete for Australia at Tokyo Olympics
- The latest 2022 Olympics boycott talk from around the world
- All the other features and stories of interest
Indian Team Scraps Chinese Uniforms in Embarrassing U-Turn
In this week’s look at all the latest news in the build-up to the Olympics and elsewhere:
- Indian Olympic Association scraps Li-Ning kit deal
- China on the verge of progressing in FIFA World Cup qualifying
- The IOC provides an update on its plans for Beijing
- 22nd death in Gansu ultramarathon disaster as official commits suicide
- The latest boycott threats from around the world
- All the other features and stories of interest