Constructive or Confrontational? Chinese Media Reporting on London 2012

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Constructive or ConfrontationalChinese Media Reporting on London2012Qing Luoa amp Wenting Xueb

a International Communication Center Communication Universityof China Beijing Peoples Republic of Chinab Public Relations Department Beijing Sport University BeijingPeoples Republic of ChinaPublished online 18 Dec 2013

To cite this article Qing Luo amp Wenting Xue (2013) Constructive or Confrontational Chinese MediaReporting on London 2012 The International Journal of the History of Sport 3015 1709-1722 DOI101080095233672013842558

To link to this article httpdxdoiorg101080095233672013842558

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The International Journal of the History of Sport 2013 Vol 30 No 15 1709ndash1722 httpdxdoiorg101080095233672013842558

Constructive or Confrontational Chinese Media Reporting on London 2012

Qing Luoa and Wenting Xueb

aInternational Communication Center Communication University of China Beijing Peoplersquos Republic of China bPublic Relations Department Beijing Sport University Beijing Peoplersquos Republic of China

During the 2012 London Olympic Games when faced with various associated issues it became apparent that there are significant differences in the approaches of the Chinese and western media when discussing controversy In this essay we discuss the fundamental divergences that precipitate such controversies Clearly there is a conflict of identification in relation to both the nation and people as there appears to be a conflict between the self-identification of the Chinese media and people and the self-identification of the western media and people Conflict also exists regarding the demands of and operating values of the current sports system in China ndash juguo tizhi and the lsquowhole nation systemrsquo of sports administration and talent development and the requirements of the new market economy of China Thus on the one hand we officially point out it is lsquogold at any costrsquo while on the other hand the more liberal approach is seen to represent a lsquoweak Gold medal approachrsquo We show that there exists a conflict in terms of instrumentality and rationality which if not overcome will perpetuate and intensify the conflict that currently exists between the elite sport system and the much needed sport for all programmes

Keywords London Olympic Games sport identity conflict China

Conflict of identification is a common phenomenon of modern society During the 2012 London Olympic Games when such issues happened as the western mediarsquos questions regarding the brilliant young swimmer Ye Shiwen the disqualification of the players in womenrsquos badminton doubles and Zhou Junrsquos three failures in the womenrsquos 53-kg division weightlifting event it became apparent that there are significant differences in the approaches of the Chinese and western media when discussing controversy In this essay we discuss the fundamental divergences that precipitate such controversies Clearly in relation to the nationpublic there appears to be a conflict between the self-identification of the Chinese media and people and the identification of the western media and people and a conflict of both in national and international consciousness Conflicts also exist regarding the current political system in China ndash the lsquowhole nation systemrsquo and the market system of China ndash the lsquoprofessional sport systemrsquo and between the concepts of lsquogold medal at any costrsquo and lsquoweakening Gold medalrsquo In view of these conflicts the Chinese government the media the academic circles and the public should carefully think about the nature function and value of sport in Chinese society and then set the path for its future development The media and thus the people should strengthen their international

Corresponding author Email eileen_luo126com

q 2013 Taylor amp Francis

1710 Q Luo and W Xue

consciousness and cultural self-awareness To achieve these ends they should strive for the improvement in their agenda-setting and international communication abilities which would facilitate the better construction of identification and the healthy development of Chinarsquos sport and the Chinese society

Identification defines the relationship between oneself and the others and it not only impacts on individuals but also acts as the spiritual bond for a communityrsquos existence survival and development as well as its source of legitimacy As the most magnificent sports gala and peerless celebration of humanistic values the Olympic Games have been treated by China as a critical platform for the cultivation of national image and especially for building a sense of self-identity However after the successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and overtaking Japan as the worldrsquos second biggest economy Chinarsquos attitude towards the Olympic Games and sport in general has become more moderate and balanced and the national identification role assumed by the Olympic Games and other sports competitions has weakened as Olympic and sport-related contemplation has become more open and profound The Chinese media and public voiced different reactions to a few headline events that happened to the Chinese delegation at London 2012 such as the western mediarsquos scepticism over Ye Shiwen the disqualification of the women doubles players in the Badminton event for less than their best effort and the triple failures of weightlifter Zhou Jun These differences reflected the identification conflicts played out by Chinese public on multiple fronts

Conflict of Identification Media Reporting on Headline Events of Chinese Delegation at London Olympic Games

National Identification Clash between Self-Identification and lsquothe Otherrsquo Identification and Between National and International Consciousness

Guo Yan reflecting on the common identification of nationals stresses the importance of being recognised by other countries and international community

national identification is within the context of the presence of other nations the construction of the sense of identity that they belong to a certain country For an individual national identification can be defined as the sense of belonging to a political entity at the psychological level and the awareness of being a member of the country for a country national identity means that its unique quality and the resulting right of maintaining such a unique quality receives recognition from other countries

She further states that a country can only survive and develop through the sense of identity of its own nationals and the recognition of the international community1 The necessity of recognition by the international community of a countryrsquos identification results from the concurrent formation of the national state the global system and the international community in the modern era and from the argument that lsquoat any given context the essence of identification is how to define the boundary of oneselfrsquo2 Samuel Huntington claims that lsquoidentity is at once self-defined and the product of interactions with others Perceptions of others of an individual or a group influence an individual or grouprsquos self-identificationrsquo3 Based on the social psychological concept looking-glass self a personrsquos self grows out of societyrsquos interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others and is shaped by an understanding of how others perceive him or her and hence it is an interactive process of mutual reflection and perception (words by Fei Xiaotong)

lsquoYan Shiwen encountered western mediarsquos scepticismrsquo and Chinese media reporting on lsquothe disqualification of women doubles players at Badminton event for throwing the gamersquo reflects the conflict between self-identification and lsquothe otherrsquo identification as well

The International Journal of the History of Sport 1711

as the conflict between lsquonational consciousnessrsquo and lsquointernational consciousnessrsquo in self-identification within the confines of world community

lsquoYe Shiwen Versus Western Mediarsquo Showcases the Conflict between Self-Identification and lsquothe Otherrsquo Identification at World Level

Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen made Chinese swimming history at London Olympic Games becoming the focus of the globalmediaWhile SunYangrsquos talents were recognised at lsquo2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome and 2011 Shanghai World Swimming Championshipsrsquo Ye Shiwen was relatively unknown outside of China The 16-year old was implicated in unsubstantiated doping speculation after she won the gold at womenrsquos 400-m individual medley with a world-record-breaking time of 42843 as she swam faster at the last 50 m than American swimmer Lochte winner of menrsquos 400-m race BBC anchor Clare Balding asked the guest commentator Mark Foster lsquoHow many questions will there be about somebody who can suddenly swim so much faster than she has ever swum beforersquo4 lsquoThe one thing I will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something and I will put quotation marks around this ldquounbelievablerdquo history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved That last 100 m was reminiscent of some oldEast German swimmersrsquo JohnLeonard ExecutiveDirector of theAmerican Swimming Coaches Association (and World Swim Coaches Association) unequivocally threw doubt on Ye Shiwenrsquos performance Associated Press reporter even raised face to face such offensive question lsquoChinese swimmers were caught doping in the 90s and people are doubtful about world-record-breaking performance from a 16-year old How will you respond to the suspicionrsquo5 Even after both Lord Colin Moynihan Chairman of the British Olympic Association and International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams defended Yersquos reputation by announcing that she had passed doping test an article titled lsquoWhy Great Olympic Feats Raise Suspicionsrsquo still appeared on Nature magazine an authoritative international weekly journal of science calling Ye Shiwenrsquos performance anomalous and even claiming that even clean drug test during competition cannot rule out the possibility of doping6 Western media such as the Mirror of the UK and Time magazine and the Wall Street Journal of the USA swiped at Chinese sport with the scornful comments such as lsquoChinese athletes are trained like robotsrsquo lsquoYe Shiwenrsquos stunning performance at Olympics is the product manufactured under a brutal training systemrsquo and lsquoMany Chinese athletes were recruited at age 6 as future Olympians and endured isolated and savage training and for them eating outside is even a luxuryrsquo

Western mediarsquos mistreatment of Ye Shiwen sparked outrage among Chinese media public triggering waves of condemnation against western mediarsquos bias and finger pointing On August 1 2012 CCTVrsquos news channel broke the news right after Ye Shiwen passed the doping test and fired back the groundless accusation by gathering comments from the IOC medical commission chairman the IOC spokesman the Chinese delegation Chinese reporters as well as foreign journalists registered at the Olympic Games Global Times in its editorial titled lsquoWest Being Petty Over Yersquos Amazing Speedrsquo criticised the western media as lsquonegative comments about her and Chinese athletes come from deep bias and reluctance from the Western press to see Chinese people making breakthroughsrsquo and lsquothe West targets Chinarsquos system and is demonizing more Chinarsquos talented peoplersquo7

The Guangming Daily in its commentary lsquoPrejudice and Prejudice and Double Standards on the Olympic Fieldrsquo pointed out that

it is quite astonishing of western press to create something out of nothing at the Olympic Games Since the opening ceremony as competitions get under way the British media has

made discriminatory remarks on Chinese swimmersrsquo performance and then fired barrage of attack suspecting that Ye Shiwen took prohibited drugs However when such accusation barely died down British cyclistrsquos deliberate crash occur at the track British and other western media either kept silence on this issue or praised such deliberate crash as smart use of the rules allowed8

Peoplersquos Daily voiced scepticism in the editorial lsquoWhy Are Western Media Selectively Blindrsquo lsquoThe Western media has always been proud of their objective report Why do they cast double standards upon Chinese athletes Which side is narrow-minded after allrsquo9

We noticed that in the process both western mediarsquos speculation and Chinese mediarsquos counter-attack went beyond individual athlete concerned or sport competition itself and pointed a finger at the country behind the athlete and the political system behind the sports It is more appropriate to say that the suspicion cast by western media is right on China including its political system and sports rather than Ye Shiwen Such suspicion has come a long way and itself perhaps is an exhibition of western countriesrsquo identity hegemony So-called hegemony spells out the imposition of subjective perceptions by western powers on non-western countries based on the rules and criteria set by themselves and backed up by their dominant position to achieve the goal of safeguarding western interests as non-western countries are still in the process of forming their own identification10 The western media from the position of superiority of capitalism over socialism harbours deep-seated rejection and hostility towards Chinarsquos state system political ideals and social culture and extends them into every aspects of Chinese society including sports resulting in double standard for treating China Just like what the Chinese media said

What theBritishmediadoubts about is notmerelyperformanceTomDaleywho enjoys the same kind of fame in his home country as Ye Shiwen in China is considered as national hero BBC has broadcast a documentary titled lsquoDiving for Britainrsquo However when the British media faces Ye Shiwen who swam for the glory of China at the Olympics it just makes so much fuss11

lsquoMatch-Fixing on Badminton Courtrsquo Reporting Exposes the Conflict between National Consciousness and International Consciousness in the Self-Identification of the Chinese Public

lsquoInternational consciousnessrsquo is a term that derives from lsquonational consciousnessrsquo Chinese scholar Zhu Feng asserted that

International consciousness in traditional terms refers to the systematic approaches and ideas with which one country considers the relationship between the world and themselves ie the systematic understanding by people of a nation about how to objectively accurately and reasonably define oneself and perceive others and about setting the goal and charting the path for that goal

He then classified international consciousness into three levels world imagery foreign perception and self-expectation12 International consciousness and lsquothe otherrsquo identification are closely linked in the process of national identification It can be said that international consciousness demonstrates the grand vision of taking initiative of learning understanding the outside world and viewing one countryrsquos development under the global context

At the final round of womenrsquos badminton doubles group held on July 31 Chinese pairs Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang Korean opponents Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na in Group A andHa Jung-eunKimMin-jung ofKorea andMeiliana JauhariGreysia Polii of Indonesia all qualified for the knockout round played to lose in order to face a stronger team in the next round drawing boos from the audienceOnAugust 1 the International Badminton Federation announced the disqualification of eight players from London Olympic Games after a hearing

concluding that lsquothe players conducted themselves in a manner that was clearly abusive or detrimental to the sportrsquo and lsquonot giving the best effortsrsquo

Though the Chinese delegation swiftly made a statement respecting the International Badminton Federationrsquos charge the Chinese mediapublic were divided on the penalty By 8 am August 3 close to 4000 netizens participated in Xihuanetrsquos survey asking about their opinion on athletesrsquo inactive play More than 40 responded that they should not have suffered expulsion thanks to the flaws in the rules 311 thought that the disqualified violated sportsmanship and Olympic spirits and about 209 expressed their understanding about what those players did in order to win at the end13 Two arguments also emerged criticising Chinese badminton teamrsquos inappropriate technical deployment and criticising the unjust rules set by the International Badminton Federation

Two commentaries criticising Chinese badminton team by Xinhua News Agency on August 1 which were reprinted by other media generated significant repercussions (Table 1) In the article lsquoItrsquos Time to Wake Up Team Chinarsquo the author standing on the height of Olympic spirits and fair play of sportsmanship agreed first with the view that the International Badminton Federation should reflect on the loopholes in the rules governing London Olympic badminton competition and amend those rules that caused the match throwing but then rejected the argument that the rules are solely to blame lsquoLightened up by Olympic flame Chinese athletes should uphold belief be able to tell right from wrong and shouldnrsquot cross over the bottom line Dignity and integrity of a nation is more important than gold medalrsquo Another essay titled lsquoNational Badminton Team What a Losing Game What a Big Shamersquo from the perspectives of audience national image and sportsmanship attacked the phenomenon of lsquoplay to losersquo on Chinese sports field

Influenced by lsquogold at all cost approachrsquo some sports officials and coaches place wining above anything else and they often do things that damage athletesrsquo image and taint sportsmanship just for gold As a matter of fact our players are quite often innocent they are also victims

Reactions to these two commentaries by Xinhua News Agency are at two extremes they were reprinted by many media outlets along with big cheers and regarded as the most

Table 1 Representative reports by Chinese media on the disqualification of Chinese players

Criticising Chinese badminton teamrsquos Criticising the unjust rules set by the inappropriate technical deployment International Badminton Federation

Xinhua News Agency Itrsquos time to wake upTeam ChinaXinhua News Agency National BadmintonTeam what a losing game what a big shame

Shenzhen Special Zone Daily lsquoMatch-fixingrsquohas become quite commonplaceBeijing Morning Post Li Yongbo please sitstraight when watching matches (http2012sinacomcncnbdpl2012-08-03034635949shtml)Henan Daily Should invite Jeremy Lin to giveLi Yongbos a lecture

Changjiang Daily Ashamed donrsquot makeexcuses

Chengdu Daily Excessive modesty is how a coward looks like Chengdu Daily The darkest day in Olympic Badminton history (http2012sinacomcn cnbdpl2012-08-02062933905shtml) New Culture Daily Appeal does not mean fastidious Chengdu Daily Itrsquos the International Badshyminton Federation who should be most apologetic (http2012sinacomcncnbdpl 2012-08-02063533913shtml) Shandong Business Daily Itrsquos a luxury of addressing Olympic spirits when the rules are not fair (http2012sinacomcncnbdpl 2012-08-02083434075shtml) Shandong Business Daily The International Badminton Federation deserves more blame

representative commentaries14 they also encountered stinging rebuke lsquocriticizing athletes lacking morality lacking sportsmanship and even to tie it with national dignity do you think that the world is not chaotic enoughrsquo15

Among the criticisms for the International Badminton Federation remarks made by CCTVrsquos seasoned commentator Bai Yansong in lsquoOlympic 1 thorn 1rsquo programme were most influential lsquoI saw many people swing the stick of morality to strike on athletes and they blamed athletes for lacking sportsmanshiprsquo he continued lsquoI donrsquot think that itrsquos fair to let athletes take the responsibility for the bizarre rules and its consequences decided by the bureaucrats at the International Badminton Federation or even the IOCrsquo Bairsquos opinions also sparked radically different reactions lsquoThanks to CCTV and Bai Yansongrsquos timely guidance the general public becomes less emotional and more rational thinking about the ldquoillness of the systemrdquo instead as harsh words make room for tolerance and understanding to the athletes at frontlinersquo16

Bai Yansong known for his poignant and on-target commentary style unintentionally meant something else this time Actually besides the kind motive of shielding Chinese athletesrsquo misconduct his opinion represents the thoughts that have been prevailing in Chinese sports circle ie winning gold at any cost and taking advantage of the rules to get the best result and pragmatism practiced on the sports competition17

In the badminton playersrsquo disqualification event divergent views and attitudes were exhibited among the Chinese mediapublic and the clash of national consciousness and international consciousness was at vivid display lsquoThe debate is just the microcosm of conflict of social valuesrsquo a Xinhua reporter summarised18 Since the goal of building a global news agency was set in 1983 the Xinhua News Agency has experienced incremental but visible changes from lsquodistinction between inside and outsidersquo to lsquoequal importance but leaning on outsidersquo and from lsquoleading domestic opinion and influencing international opinionrsquo to lsquocommunicating for China and reporting on the worldrsquo19 lsquoInternational communityrsquo perspective has been applied steadily to judge issues and report news events Those two commentaries from Xinhua News Agency were clear evidence of the shift as they are based on universal values such as sportsmanship and fair play Unlike the international consciousness manifested on media outlet such as Xinhua other Chinese media focused on national consciousness and national identification naturally siding on the Chinese position to safeguard the interest of Chinese athletes and Chinarsquos national image Consequently this resulted in conflicts

System Identification Conflict between Market-Driven Professional Sports System and Politics-Centred Whole Nation Sports System

lsquoSystemrsquo is the generalisation of mechanism that defines the organisation set-up of government agencies and institutions the subordinate relationship and division of authorities Sports system is the generalisation of the administrative mechanism that governs sports Different countries and regions adopt different kind of sports system according to their own national conditions and sports development objectives

The lsquoWhole nation systemrsquo is a special sports administration and operating system adopted by China It came into being in 1950s received its name in 1980s and matured in the early twenty-first century In a speech made in February 2001 at a sports directors meeting the then director of the General Administration of Sport of China Yuan Weimin said that the essence of the whole nation system is to exert the advantage of socialist system of mobilising resources to get grand projects done He encouraged his colleagues to take advantage of Chinarsquos vast talent pool out of huge population discover and effectively use

rich sports resources and through competition and coordination to raise the level of Chinese athletic sports wining honour for the country at international sports arena Chinese mediarsquos attitude towards the whole nation system can be divided into three phases from 1949 to 1989 the term lsquowhole nation systemrsquo never appeared on newspapers but media was generally acquiescent to and appreciative of it a phase of lsquodisguisersquo and lsquoglorificationrsquo from 1990 to 2006 thanks to the emergence of market-driven media the whole nation system generated some suspicion and dissension culminating after the 10th National Games in 2006 a phase of scepticism and criticism from 2007 onwards scepticism from media on the whole nation system eased in the greater context of official will of the General Administration of Sport of China starting of the Beijing Olympiad media frenzy and national celebration and the slogan of lsquorefiningwhile adhering to the functioning systemrsquo a phase of adherence and refinement20

Though Chinese delegation registered the best performance at the Olympic Games held outside of China in London the imbalance of different sports and the overall slide in team sports posed serious questions As a result media attitude towards the whole nation system is mixed at best

Mainstreammedia outlets such as the Peoplersquos Daily and BeijingDaily splashed articles over their pages attributing Chinese delegationrsquos accomplishment at London Olympic Games to thewhole nation system BeijingDailyAugust 3 in a commentary titled lsquoDenying the National System is Unfair Empty Talks Cause Only Confusionrsquo made the point

The whole nation system is the choice conforming to our current stage of development and it has been proved effective through test and trials Departing from historical background and situation to accuse the whole nation system of wasting money and human investment and gold medal powerhouse not equal to sports power can only cause confusion and muddy the water The formation of any system has its own profound cultural tradition and national conditions The whole nation system is a sports development model built gradually over many years and it fits to Chinarsquos developmental reality21

On August 9 the Peoplersquos Daily raised such points in its editorial lsquoThe Whole Nation System and the Olympic Gloryrsquo as lsquoitrsquos not a good idea to weaken the value of gold medalrsquo lsquoOlympic triumphs bring the whole country ldquopositive energyrdquorsquo and lsquostellar performance needs the system supportrsquo voicing its call to adhere to the whole nation system and build a global sports powerhouse

The whole nation system offers pivotal insurance for sports breakthroughs achieved in the past few decades Itrsquos disrespectful toward veterans and former generations of Chinese sports endeavor to deny such basic historical fact Without such foundation itrsquos difficult to find the starting point for Chinarsquos sports reform The brilliant performance by Chinese delegation at London Olympic Games bears indelible marks of whole nation system

The editorial defended the effectiveness and validity of the whole nation system by citing the cases of other countries studying and learning from the system

In fact in the global sports exchange led by Olympic Games China while learning from sports of developed countries has become the subject of research and emulation The essence of Japanrsquos lsquodoubling medal haulrsquo strategy approved in 2001 is to construct a cultivation and training path for juvenile players to become top-tier professional athletes and to put in place a supporting mechanism by sports federations in the areas of sports medicine science and information analysis22

Meanwhile some media held scepticism and reflections on the whole nation system lsquoChinese sports circle and segments of society after Chinarsquos pinnacle performance at 2008 Beijing Olympics called for reflections on the whole nation system urging sports to return to its original statersquo23

China has attained world-recognized feat after more than 30 years of breakneck growth and opening and created a Chinese miracle As a result the self-esteem and sense of pride of Chinese nation have increased by leaps and bounds and itrsquos not necessary to prove and elevate ourselves by Olympic gold medals We need to return to normal and to develop Olympic undertaking in calm and logical fashion Therefore itrsquos time for us to look at the whole nation system maintaining its positive elements and dismissing its shortcomings to mobilize and stimulate the initiatives of individuals and businesses as we can push some mature sports to the marketplace to learn how to survive and thrive weaning it off from the state life support system resolutely24

It is worth noticing that the Chinese media has passionately advocated for the development of professional sports in China while reflecting on the whole nation system

We need to execute strategic transition in a proactive manner while maintaining our competitiveness at the Olympic Games We should invest much more in soccer professional basketball league competitions and should be much more dedicated to fostering reserves and young talents for three big balls (soccer basketball and volleyball) and tennis striving for some breakthroughs at professional sports and cultivating more sports stars with global recognition and influence like Yao Ming and Li Na25

The whole nation system is a sports development model born when China had scarce financial resources and a weak athletic sports foundation In order to bring honour to the country and to engineer a rapid or even leap-forward development in athletic sports resources from the whole country as well as the whole sport circle are mobilised and hence the whole nation system is tinged with hues of politics Professional sports were led by the National Sports Commission and later the General Administration of Sport in 1992 to develop sports-related industries and attract public participation as the market economy was affirmed as Chinarsquos economic model Professional sports become an operational mode for athletic sports which has pronounced tendency to chase profit and gain economic benefit The debate among Chinese mediapublic on the whole nation system and professional sports reveals the conflict on sports system identification The source of the conflict is the dislocation of sports undertakings and sports-related industries Most of the countries in the world treat sports as an industry making efforts to increase the supply of material products and services to the industry and meeting the diverse and multilayered needs of consumers However for considerably long period of time sports have been regarded entirely as a social and public welfare undertaking and the objective of sports development has been focused on winning honour for the country and improving peoplersquos health and well-being with winning honour for the country particularly emphasised The current sports administration and operation system is mainly centred on athletic sports and the set-up of organisations allocation of resources and formulation of rules and policies revolve around winning medals at major international events Inadequate attention has been paid to ever-growing public demand for sports consumption causing the separation of sports undertaking and sports industry Such separation is not only against global sports development trend but also detrimental to the sustained development of sports undertakingwhile hindering the fostering and development of sports industry andmarket26

Value Identification Conflict between lsquoGold at Any Costrsquo and lsquoWeakening Gold Medalrsquo Approach

lsquoGold at any costrsquo is the inevitable product of the whole nation system

Under the whole nation system government has for a quite long time made enormous investment in athletic sports focusing on big sports events with Olympic Games being the top priority naturally The number of gold medal won is a key evaluation yardstick measuring

officialrsquos performance resulting in the growth of lsquogold at any costrsquo ie pursuing short-term fame and material gain27

lsquoGold at any costrsquo distorts the athletesrsquo will to fight in sports competition rendering athletes the slave of medals and shedding the fun and entertaining aspect of sports lsquoGold at any costrsquo shackles the development of social sports presenting us with a deformed thriving and prospering scene of Chinese sports undertaking On the one hand Chinese athletic sports experienced vibrant development as Chinese athletes captured tons ofmedals at international sports arena and on the other hand the entire social sports structure of China is crumbling as the health condition and physical fitness of the public deteriorate

The Chinese public being the host of the 2008 Olympic Games has demonstrated more rational and pragmatic attitude towards gold medals In the poll ending on July 10 2012 conducted by Netease Sports concerning which country will most likely stand on the top of gold medal list at 2012 Olympic Games 96 of more than 150000 respondents chose the USA and only 39 voted for China We can probe the essence from the surface This number does not mean a lack of confidence among Chinese public about Chinese delegationrsquos prospect in London but a shift of their sports views ndash Gold is important but health is even more important Chinese Olympic delegation was formed on July 10 2012 and CCTVrsquos nightly news immediately asked the delegation to abandon lsquogold at any costrsquo creed and to enjoy the beauty of athletic sports28 Talk-show host Bai Yansong said

There are too many sports fans sitting in front of the TV set in China but what I am hoping is that we can all become participants of sports instead of mere spectators In lsquopost-Beijing Olympic erarsquo more people especially children should get involved in sports attending to healthy lifestyle and thatrsquos the understanding that we should have instead of just for gold medals29

It takes time to change concept and deep-seated ideas On July 28 2012 Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China Xiao Tian told reporters during an interview

Whenwe havemany goldmedals some scholars start devaluing them claiming that they are not that important They urged Chinese athletes to be as relaxed as foreign athletes to enjoy the competition However at London Olympic Games if we won fewer gold medals people would curse us to death Therefore words can be said in rather teasing manner but as a sports professional and administrator coming to Londonmeans that youmust have goldmedal inmind

The omnipresent media coverage on Chinarsquos first gold in London and the gold medallist stories behind gold medallist analysis on events favoured to win gold for China and gold medal predications took over Chinese media vividly showcasing the gold medal obsession by Chinese public On July 29 at London Olympic womenrsquos 53-kg weightlifting event 17-year-old Zhou Jun from Hunan failed her three snatch attempts delivering the first blank sheet for Chinese womenrsquos weightlifting team at Olympic competition triggering a nationwide uproar Finger pointing and scepticism inundated the media outlets One newspaper even called Zhoursquos failure lsquothe most humiliating defeatrsquo for Chinese women weightlifting team30 a reflection of entrenched lsquoWinner takes it allrsquo mindset Coincidentally on the morning of July 30 Wu Jingbiao bronze medallist at menrsquos 56-kg weightlifting event bowed numerous times after the contest a gesture that he just kept doing and apologised time and again saying that he is ashamed of facing the motherland and Chinese weightlifting team another live example of the belief in Chinese sports circle of lsquoa thousand silver canrsquot match a goldrsquo Fortunately Chinese media and public launched a debate on whether Wu Jingbiao should apologise and on the pain and agony behind the apologies afterwards Peoplersquos Daily in its commentary lsquoWhy Need to Apologize After Giving Onersquos Best Effortsrsquo provided in-depth description and accurate

account on the competition and Wu Jingbiaorsquos chance of capturing gold and the conclusion it drew is lsquoitrsquos not an upset to lose to such powerful opponentrsquo playing the role of guiding media to some extent31 Regarding Zhou Jun event the Peoplersquos Daily offered penetrating coverage on topics surrounding Chinese weightlifting team such as its recruitment process the balance struck between provincial level and city level and compensation and care and it conveyed to Zhou Jun certain humanistic concerns

This upset causes a locked-in medal slip away for Chinese weightlifting team and a provincial team but whatrsquos more worrying is Zhou Junrsquos future A lost medal can be recaptured but itrsquos much more difficult for a young athlete to rebuild her foundering confidence32

However some media people showed indifference to the call to dilute the attention on gold Responding to Liu Xiangrsquos remark that Olympic Games is just a game CCTVrsquos sports commentator Han Qiaosheng doubted that Chinese public reached that level of treating Olympic Games simply as a game

I think that we still need to fight for gold medals and otherwise itrsquoll be in violation of Olympic motto of lsquofaster higher and strongerrsquo Olympic Games still fall within the domain of athletic sports and winning is the ultimate goal Itrsquos apparently inappropriate to deny the competitive nature of sports33

Chinese media and publicrsquos conflict over lsquogold at any costrsquo and lsquoweakening gold medal approachrsquo is the conflict between instrumental rationality and value-based rationality The German sociologist Max Weber in a probe of human beings behaviour proposed an interpretation of social action that distinguished between four different idealised types of rationality and among them two are most critical ndash goal-oriented instrumental rationality and value-oriented value rationalityWeber proposed that instrumental rationality refers to the act driven solely to attain ends in profit and fame and the act is rationally pursued and calculated to maximise the effect value rationality refers to the action undertaken for unconditional values and the actor stresses pure motive and correct approach leading to the goal Chinese athletic sports development undoubtedly manifests the pursuit of instrumental rationality ie to chase the best competition performance and to strive for gold at any cost Such instrumental rationality ties victory with country and people and though stirring up waves after waves of sports mania among the public its boost on social sports is limited It can be said that in order for Chinese sports to have a healthy and sustained development it must pursue instrumental rationality and value-oriented rationality simultaneously in the process of chasingvictory and capturing goldmedalsChinese sports should seek the comprehensive development of people engaging the improvement of both body and mind

A Close Look at the Conflict of Identification in London Olympic Reporting on Chinese Delegation

Ralf Dahrendorf a sociologist said in his conflict theory that society has two faces one is stability harmony and consensus and the other is change conflict and coercion and the social reality is the cyclic process of conflict and harmony To German social scholar Lewis Coser low-intensity and low-violence conflicts have certain positive effects first frequent but low-intensity conflicts force people to reflect on and reorganise their behaviour second conflicts can discharge tension preventing the opposing sides from reaching the extreme degree on some marginal issues third constant but low-intensity conflicts spur the formation of means to defuse the tension fourth such conflicts enhance the reality of the issue concerned as parties to the conflict have a clear view of onesrsquo own interests and objectives enabling them to bargain and reach compromise fifth conflict might serve to solidify groups that facing threat thus increasing the resilience of the

alliance34 The conflict of identification among Chinese media and public exposed on the reporting of headline events for London Olympic Games has the positive effect spurring us to have a close look at the Chinese sports and news undertakings

A Second Look at Chinese Sportsrsquo Essence Function Value and Its Development Path

The identification conflict of Chinese mediapublic that broke out at London Olympic Games for some controversial events the limited career choice for retired athletes and the decline of peoplersquos health and physical fitness have stimulated us to contemplate about Chinese sportsrsquo essence function value and its future development path

Essence

Chinese sports should achieve the transition from lsquoundertakingrsquo to lsquoequal weight for undertaking and industryrsquo With the precondition of increasing government investment in social sports Chinese sports should better mobilise social resources and bring in market force aiming at building a sports powerhouse

Function

Chinese sports should dilute its political function exerting its physical fitness culture and entertaining functions and returning to the original state of sports to its very root and nature

Chinese sports should make transition from instrumental rationality to value-oriented rationality and from gold-at-any-cost and performance-supreme doctrines to fostering fully developed individuals

Chinese sports should shift from athletic-sports-dominated development strategy to a balanced and comprehensive development strategy ie to seek the balanced development of athletic and social sports and the harmonised coexistence of the whole nation system and professional sports system

Sports Talent Development

Chinese sports should change the rigid training and talent development pattern ndash providing all-weather specialised and enclosed training in amateur sports school provincial teams and national team instead sports talent development should be incorporated into basic education programme so as to discover and train high-level sports competitors on the basis of developing human beingsrsquo full potential

Raise Cultural Awareness Enhance International Consciousness and Improve Agenda-Setting and International Communication Abilities

At 2012 London Olympic Games western media created many China-targeted topics from scepticism on Ye Shiwenrsquos performance to ridicule on Chinese athletes as robot and vilifying Chinarsquos lsquogold rushrsquo starting rounds after rounds of media war We can criticise some western reportersrsquo lack of courtesy arrogance bias and aggressiveness but we

cannot deny one point that western media put on a more glamorous and high-profile show at the stage of London Olympic media competition On this battle front Chinese media was invisible This is an alarming and worrisome no-show and silence

What has caused such reality ndash on the one hand Chinese media lacking international consciousness was not able to conduct equal and open dialogue with western peers on the other hand Chinese media deficient of cultural self-awareness and cultural confidence dared not initiate debate on the strength as well as weakness of Chinese sports with their western counterparts

lsquoCultural self-awarenessrsquo was first raised by Chinese social scientist Fei Xiaotong in 1997 at 2nd Peking University Socio-cultural Anthropology Senior Seminar and he summarised it as lsquoEvery form of beauty has its uniqueness the precious thing is to appreciate other forms of beauty with openness if diverse forms of beauty coexist the world will be blessed with harmony and unityrsquo So-called cultural self-awareness according to Professor Fei means that people who live in certain cultural and historical context are aware of their culture and have ample insight in its developmental process and future trajectory In other words itrsquos culturersquos self-awakening self-reflection and self-construction Cultural self-awareness proposed by the end of twentieth century by Fei Xiaotong is the counter theory in the face of subversion of postmodern culture (time) and the impact from emerging global culture (space)35 China is the only ancient civilisation in the world that has evolved into a modern society and boasts magnificent and enduring cultural traditions and heritage exerting pivotal role in the development of human civilisation and having unique influence Though Chinese sports are still facing many challenges it cannot be denied or even underestimated that China has made extraordinary accomplishment at world athletic sports field within a short 30-year time span

The overall landscape of international communications is still dominated by the West as US-led western countries have controlled the right to international discourse Under this broad backdrop Chinese media should establish international consciousness and absorb the successful experience from western countriesrsquo sports development meanwhile it needs to form cultural self-awareness and contemplate a unique development route for Chinese sports Chinese media can avoid false pride or unduly humbleness on the foundation of acute international consciousness and profound cultural self-awareness with independent spirit and free thinking as well as tolerant attitude and accommodating feelings to engage in cross-culture communications to shed sense of inferiority or complacence in global exchange to gain recognition and acceptance and ultimately to chart our own course of sports development

Notes on Contributors Qing Luo is the Secretary-General of MLeague (International League of Higher Education in Media and Communication) Deputy Director of International Office Associated Professor and master supervisor in International Communication center Communication University of China Visiting Professor nominated by COMUNDUS- Erasmus Mundus European Union Olympic Studies Centre of International Olympic Committee and European Audiovisual Observatory Council of Europe

Wenting Xue is the Deputy Director of Public Relations Department Associated Professor and Master Supervisor in Sport Journalism Department Beijing Sport University China

Notes 1 Guo ldquoUnderdeveloped Countries in a Global Agerdquo 39 2 See Wendt ldquoIdentity and Structural Changerdquo cited in Liu Reconstruction of Media Identity 56 3 Huntington Who Are We 22

4 See ldquoBBC Host Suspected Ye Shiwenrsquos Miraculous Speed Aroused Different Partiesrsquo Disputesrdquo CNTV July 30 2012 httpnewscntvcn20120730116162shtml

5 Ruikai Hu ldquoPrider and Prejudicer Shut Uprdquo Chengdu Daily August 1 2012 httpcdrb newsscorghtml2012-0801content_1649586htm

6 Callaway ldquoWhy Great Olympic Feats Raise Suspicionsrdquo 7 See ldquoEditorial Obstruct Ye Shiwen West Being Petty Over Yersquos Amazing Speedrdquo Global

Times August 1 2012 httpopinionhuanqiucom11522012-082974510html 8 Xidong Wang ldquoPrejudice and Prejudice and Double Standards on the Olympic Fieldrdquo

Guangming Daily August 8 2012 httppoliticsgmwcn2012-0808content_4738711htm 9 Yuan Xue ldquoWhy Are Western Media Selectively Blindrdquo Peoplersquos Daily August 7 2012

httpopinionpeoplecomcnn20120807c1003-18681719html 10 Guo ldquoDual Identity Crisis of Developing Countriesrdquo 13 11 See ldquoCCTV Counterattacked Ye Shiwen Event Rumour Has Been Officially Refuted Foreign

Media Either Repine the Suspicionsrdquo CNR (China National Radio) August 1 2012 httpsp ortscnrcnlist201208t20120801_510430173html

12 Zhu ldquoPatriotismrdquo 57 13 See ldquoXinhua Investigation How Netizens View Negative Competition ndash Two Standpoints

Dominate the Opinionrdquo NetEase August 3 2012 httpnews163com12080313 8803KL5C00014JB5html

14 New Media Center of the Chinese Sports Press Agency Headquarters ldquoReport on Studies of Chinese Media Reportsrdquo 10

15 See Fengzhong Yaobai ldquoSeven Questions for Xinhua News Agencyrdquo Blog August 2 2012 httpblogsinacomcnsblog_a3be7b9501018427html

16 See ldquoGive the Audience a Satisfied Answer Documentary on CCTVrsquos Reporting of London Olympicsrdquo Guangming Daily August 20 2012 httpwwwgmwcnmedia2012-0820 content_4835260htm

17 Rong Li ldquoBai Yansongrsquos Anger is to Shield the Faultsrdquo Oriental Sports Daily August 3 2012 http2012sinacomcncnbdpl2012-08-03075836559shtml

18 Lei Shan ldquoChinese Badminton Team Farce Disputes Highlight Improvements of Nationalsrsquo Consciousnessrdquo Xinhua News Agency August 2 2012 http2012sinacomcncnbd pl2012-08-02051833728shtml

19 Wu History of Chinese News and Communications 465ndash6 20 Dazhao Wang and Yuan Xue ldquoThe Whole Nation System and the Olympic Gloryrdquo Peoplersquos

Daily August 9 2012 httpopinionpeoplecomcnn20120809c1003-18700323html 21 See ldquoDenying the National System is Unfair Empty Talks Cause Only Confusionrdquo Beijing

Daily August 3 2012 http2012sinacomcncnotherpl2012-08-03072636519shtml 22 Wang and Xue ldquoThe Whole Nation System and the Olympic Gloryrdquo Peoplersquos Daily August

9 2012 httpopinionpeoplecomcnn20120809c1003-18700323html 23 Jun Gu ldquoIt is the Moment for Reforming the Olympic Selection Mechanismsrdquo Oriental

Morning Post July 31 2012 httpwwwdfdailycomhtml632012731833800shtml 24 Wenzhen Cao ldquoDispassionate Thinkings on the Olympic Gold Medal Passionrdquo Study Times

September 10 2012 httpwwwstudytimescomcn9999epaperxxsbhtml2012091009 09_31htm

25 Kai Zhou ldquoLondon Olympics Apocalypse Parallelly Developing the National System and Professionalization and Marketizationrdquo Xinhua News Agency August 19 2012 httpsports huanqiucomsoccergn2012-083040584html

26 Bao ldquoChinese Ways of the Professional Sportsrdquo 25 27 Huang ldquoNeutrally Viewing Olympics Starts from London Having Fun Enjoying the

Happiness of the Gamerdquo Daily New Post July 27 2012 httpwwwbjdcom cn10jsxw20120727t20120727_2679622html

28 Wang and Wu ldquoInvestigating Chinese Journalistsrsquo Professional Responsibilityrdquo 27ndash8 29 Jingjing Huang ldquoNeutrally Viewing Olympics Starts from London Having Fun Enjoying

the Happiness of the Gamerdquo Daily New Post July 27 2012 httpwwwbjdcom cn10jsxw20120727t20120727_2679622html

30 See http2012ifengcomweightliftingdetail_2012_073116446576_0shtml 31 Li ldquoSufficiently Report Olympicsrdquo 21 32 Ibid

33 Qiaosheng Han ldquoOlympics is a Game Chinese Players Canrsquot Attain This Understandingrdquo Oriental Sports Daily July 13 2012 httpwesportscncomviewnews-1107686html

34 Turner The Structure of Sociological Theory 139 35 Li and Huang ldquoThe Culture Awarenessrdquo 39

References Bao Mingxiao ldquoChinese Ways of the Professional Sports Reform and Developmentrdquo Sport Science

Research 3 (2012) 24ndash33 Callaway Ewen ldquoWhy Great Olympic Feats Raise Suspicions lsquoPerformance Profilingrsquo Could Help

to Dispel Doubtsrdquo Nature August 1 2012 corrected August 3 2012 httpwwwnaturecom newswhy-great-olympic-feats-raise-suspicions-111109

Guo Yan ldquoUnderdeveloped Countries in a Global Age National Identity Encounters lsquoDecentralizationrsquordquo World Economics and Politics 9 (2004) 38ndash41

Guo Yan ldquoDual Identity Crisis of Developing Countriesrdquo International Forum 9 no 1 (2007) 11ndash15

Huntington Samuel Phillips Who Are We The Challenges to Americarsquos National Identity New York Simon amp Schuster 2004

Li Bin and Weixing Huang ldquoThe Culture Awareness in Chinarsquos Self-Oriented International Communicationsrdquo International Communications 8 (2011) 39ndash40

Li Zhongwen ldquoSufficiently Report Olympics Effectively Lead Public Opinionrdquo News amp Writing 9 (2012) 21ndash23

Liu Guoqiang Reconstruction of Media Identity Studies on Global Communication and the Construction of National Identity Chengdu Sichuan University Press 2009

New Media Center of the Chinese Sports Press Agency Headquarters ldquoReport on Studies of Chinese Media Reporting 2012 London Olympicsrdquo News amp Writing 9 (2012) 6ndash17

Turner Jonathan H The Structure of Sociological Theory (7th ed) Translated in Chinese by Zeqi Qiu and Maoyuan Zhang Beijing Huaxia Publishing House 2008

Wang Dong and Wu Dong ldquoInvestigating Chinese Journalistsrsquo Professional Responsibility from London Olympic Gamesrdquo News amp Writing 9 (2012) 26ndash28

Wendt Alexander ldquoIdentity and Structural Change in International Politicsrdquo In The Return of Culture and Identity in IR Theory edited by Y Lapid and F Kratochwil 511ndash512 Boulder CO Lynne Rienner 1996

Wu Tingjun ed History of Chinese News and Communications (1978ndash2008) Shanghai Fudan University Press 2011

Zhu Feng ldquoPatriotism Chinese Peoplersquos Pride and Melancholyrdquo China and World Affairs 1 (2005) 54ndash60

Abstract

National Identification Clash between Self-Identification and `the Other Identification and Between National and International Consciousness

`Ye Shiwen Versus Western Media Showcases the Conflict between Self-Identification and `the Other Identification at World Level

`Match-Fixing on Badminton Court Reporting Exposes the Conflict between National Consciousness and International Consciousness in the Self-Identification of the Chinese Public


Value Identification Conflict between `Gold at Any Cost and `Weakening Gold Medal Approach


A Second Look at Chinese Sports Essence Function Value and Its Development Path

Essence

Function

Value

Path



Notes

References

Conditions of access and use can be found at httpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

Essence

Function

Abstract