US vs China Competition in the Olympic Realm

By Mark Dreyer

The Olympic rivalry between the United States and China has become one of the most compelling narratives in the world of sports, and the 2024 Paris Games encapsulated this competitive dynamic perfectly. Both nations finished at the top of the medal table with 40 gold medals each, but the US edged out China courtesy of more silver medals. Overall, the US finished with 126 total medals to China’s 91, but the official table ranks by gold medals, and only looks at silver (and then bronze) in the event of a tie.

While China showcased its traditional dominance in events like diving, achieving a clean sweep of the eight diving events for the first time at an Olympics, their performance in the other pool – swimming – was muted, with only one individual gold medalist. This can be partially attributed to the tense buildup between the US and China, with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) publicly and repeatedly raising their concerns over the handling of past doping allegations involving Chinese athletes, adding a layer of drama to their aquatic confrontations. Chinese swimmers adopted something an underdog mentality heading into Paris, complaining about how much more than other nations’ swimmers they had been tested in the build-up up to Paris. But, outside notable exception of sprint star Pan Zhanle, who lowered his own world record in the 100m freestyle and added another gold in the medley relay, no one truly shone. The US remained the kings and queens of the pool, with eight gold medals to China’s two.

China’s Olympic History

After receiving an invitation to compete at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki at the last minute, only Indonesian-born swimmer Wu Chuanyu arrived in time to take part, ranking 28th in the 100m backstroke, while the country’s basketball and soccer teams arrived too late to take part. However, China then boycotted all of the Summer Games from 1956 to 1980 at the IOC’s decision to allow the Republic of China to compete, returning only for the 1980 Winter Games after the delegation from Taiwan agreed to compete under the name ‘Chinese Taipei.’ However, China’s Olympic journey has been nothing short of remarkable over the past 40 years, especially in the Summer Games. Their entry into the modern Olympics began in earnest with the 1984 Los Angeles Games, where China won 15 golds, establishing itself as a rising power.

China has accrued the majority of its medals in just a handful of sports: it leads all-time in the quartet of diving, weightlifting, table tennis and badminton. Two other sports have brought China a lot of golds – gymnastics and shooting – but it still lags behind the US in each of those (and also trails the Soviet Union and Japan in gymnastics). But that is a large reason for the country’s success: a targeted focus on certain sports, which have a significant medal count and in which China can dominate. Team sports – with the exception of women’s volleyball – have never brought much joy to China at the Olympics, but each sport only has one gold medal on offer, and so China’s comparative failure in this area has little impact.

It does raise an interesting question, though, about the relative merits of each sport and each medal: how many gold medals in, say, shooting and weightlifting would China willingly swap to win gold in men’s basketball? I suspect Chinese sports fans might give a rather different answer to the current head of China’s Olympic Committee, Gao Zhidan, who is also the director of the State General Administration of Sports, China’s Sports Ministry. Incidentally, his predecessor in both of those two roles, Gou Zhongwen, is currently in detention as part of a wide-ranging anti-corruption crackdown on the sports industry, which will only increase the pressure on those in charge to produce results within the sporting arena.

Beijing’s historic hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics further cemented the nation’s status, when China topped the medal table for the first – and so far only – time, while 2022 saw Beijing become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, elevating China’s legacy within the Olympic movement. The Winter Games in 2022 displayed China’s growing ambitions in winter sports, a traditionally weaker area for the country, but finished with an impressive performance of nine gold medals – tied with the United States for the first time (but, again, ranking behind due to the silver medal tiebreaker).

The Role of National Pride in Olympic Success

Both the United States and China view their Olympic achievements as a point of national pride. In China, athletes are often seen as ambassadors of the state, carrying the weight of national honor on their shoulders. The country’s state-run sports system is designed to channel the nation’s best talents into the Olympic spotlight, with a focus on achieving glory for China. In contrast, while the US also celebrates its Olympic heroes, the approach to athletic development is largely decentralized, with much of the focus on collegiate sports as a pipeline for elite athletes. But this fundamental difference in system seems to have a crucial distinction: the centralization of resources makes China more efficient in certain sports, while the broader US system allows for a more diverse spread of talent.

Sponsorship of Global Sporting Events

China’s influence on global sports extends beyond athletic prowess. In the past 10-15 years, Chinese companies have become increasingly involved in sponsoring international events, especially the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. Companies like Alibaba, Wanda, and Mengniu have been prominent Olympic sponsors, showcasing China’s economic clout and desire to bolster its soft power.

In contrast, Chinese sponsorship at the FIFA World Cup and European Championships has been somewhat more aggressive, reflecting China’s deepening interest in football development, even though its national team has struggled on the global stage. Wanda Group, for example, is one of FIFA’s top sponsors, while no fewer than five Chinese companies backed Euro 2024, underscoring the nation’s ambition in expanding its presence in global sports marketing.

Presidential Backing and Potential Host Cities

IOC President Thomas Bach announced this summer that he intends to step down next year after 12 years at the helm. As the March 2025 election for the new IOC president approaches, China’s potential influence is a topic of interest. While none of the seven candidates are Chinese, it is expected that China will lobby behind the scenes to support a candidate who aligns with its vision of sports diplomacy. Given China’s significant role as a host nation, sponsor, ad medal powerhouse, the country may still play an indirect role in shaping the future of the IOC leadership, leveraging its connections and influence in international sports politics.

Similarly, after Beijing’s success as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics, the question arises: when will China host the Olympics again, and where? While there is no confirmed bid for the Summer or Winter Games, there is speculation that China may seek to host the Summer Games in the 2036 cycle. With several potential cities – Shanghai and Chongqing among them – China’s next move could very well focus on continuing its long-term investment in both summer and winter sports infrastructure.

Another question is: when will China next top the medal table? Despite a surge of growth in winter sports infrastructure and interest in China, dating back to before the 2022 Olympics, China simply has too much ground to make up before it can hope to beat Norway, Germany and the other winter sport powerhouses. The Summer Olympics is a different story. After trailing the US by a single gold medal at Tokyo 2020 and tying the US in Paris, China will hope to overhaul its rival at the soonest possible opportunity. That chance will almost certainly not come at Los Angeles 2028, given that the host nation always gets a sizeable boost in the medal standings. But you can be sure that China’s sport statisticians will already be plotting how to achieve victory at Brisbane 2032.