China after the Olympics

Chinese TV channels feature non-stop highlight reels of the Olympic Games and its ceremonies. The people of China are still celebrating. The government’s plan to recruit people in sports where it was previously not competitive worked. There were medals in archery, boxing and beach volleyball. But medals aren’t everything and this journalist says Chinese shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from their gold medal count, and he says he hopes Chinese will come away from the Olympics with a love of sports that will inspire people to exercise and be healthier. China is currently going through a transformation he says where physical fitness is being emphasized more. The Olympics are still about patriotism, but that doesn’t mean Chinese people didn’t care about other country’s athletes. Chinese authorities will have to decide whether they want to make a similar investment for the 2012 Games in London.