Is there a reluctance in the West to see Chinese athletes and people in general make ‘breakthroughs’? According to this editorial from China’s state-run Global Times, charges first made by an American coach that 16-year-old swimming phenom Ye Shiwen may have used performance enhancing drugs is a result of long-held Western stereotypes that no longer have any relevance.
The Global Times editorial starts off this way:
Young Chinese swimming star Ye Shiwen set a new world record in the women’s 400 meter individual medley, scooping up Olympic gold at the London Games. Her achievement, however, has been met with suspicion and derision from Western commentators.
During one interview, a reporter directly confronted her with the allegation that Chinese athletes are “robots trained to win medals.” Challenging a young girl with such unfriendly language is not something a journalist should be proud of – and it is unfair to Ye.
Doubts over Ye’s breathtaking speed are understandable. Chinese swimmers have in the past been tainted with doping scandals, but Ye passed all the doping tests conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency. On Tuesday, British Olympic Association Chairman Lord Moynihan called for an end to the speculation and for doubters to recognize Ye’s talent.
Negative comments being made about her other Chinese athletes are a result of a deep bias and a reluctance on the part of the Western press to see Chinese people make breakthroughs.
If Ye were an American, the tone in Western media would be different. Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in the 2008 Games. Yet no one seems to question the authenticity of his results, most likely because he is American.
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