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Thread: Australia and Soth Kore lead the Medals table!

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[quote=APAULT,313456]There are quite a few opportunities to play table tennis, in fact in the major cities (haha we only have 4 cities over 1 million ppl) there are facilities for most sports.

You know, I have been trying to get two libes of discussion going - one is that population size and funding are important factors in winning medals ( so traditionally I have wonderred how the US can think itself so clever when it has such an advantage (and als the USSR in the past).  Now China is moving into that position and will lose support from the rest of the world.  If asked who I support in say Basketball, I have always said 'Two teams: Australia and whoever is playing against the USA'.  China should avoid having the workd cheering against it by understanding that other nations are smaller and increasingly, poorer.

The second issue is that of grass roots versus elitism.  It is a good metaphor for the politics of China today (which we cannot always talk about too openly eg in this site).  What is the future of China?  Is it going to be about the common people or about elites?  Sport is a reflection of the society, it is PART of politics!

So I am happy to see China's successes in this OG, and to see the successful Beijing OG, but that doesn't mean to say I won't raise questions... that is the (western) academic way and is also the future for China.[/quote]

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