China's mixed doubles table tennis team made a tearful apology at the Tokyo Olympics last week – for winning a silver medal. Tokyo2020 TokyoOlympics
People were not pleased, given how the brand is among those"As a Chinese athlete, why do you have to collect Nike shoes? Shouldn't you lead the way in boycotting Nike?" one comment read.Her teammate Wang Luyao also faced anger when she failed to make a spot in the women's 10m air rifle final.
Criticism of her was so overwhelming that WeiboGiven the competitive nature of the Olympics, people getting upset over any losses is, of course, hardly unique to China. In Singapore, star swimmer Joseph Schooling received harsh trolling after failing to defend his 100m butterfly crown last week. The censure got so vile that several government leaders, including President Halimah Yacob, came out calling for support for him. But the outrage seen online in China is arguably more pronounced, and not just because its population is massive and internet-savvy. "The so-called 'little pinks', or youngsters with strong nationalist feelings, have a disproportionate voice online," said Dr Jonathan Hassid, a political science expert at Iowa State University. "In part, this voice is amplified because legitimate criticism of the state is increasingly unacceptable." Nationalism in China has risen sharply in recent years as its global influence grows and any international criticisms are seen as attempts to target its development. The Olympics also came hot on the heels of the China Communist Party's 100th anniversary celebrations on 1 July, where President Xi Jinping made a defiant speech about how China would never be "bullied" by foreign powers."The authorities have flagged nationalism as the correct way to understand current affairs, and now citizens are turning to that framework when they need to make sense of China's role in the world," Dr Schneider said. "The Chinese public have been told that national success matters, and now Chinese athletes must deliver this success in Tokyo."Dr Schneider and other experts noted however, that these angry reactionary nationalists most likely do not represent the Chinese majority. Dr Hassid said: "If the only voices consistently allowed are the loudest nationalists, we should not be surprised that their voices can dominate online discussion far out of proportion to their actual numbers." Amid the outrage seen on Weibo, there was also wide support for Team China, with some calling out the trolls for being "unreasonable"."I hope that all of us in front of the screen will establish a rational view of gold medals, and of victory and defeat, to enjoy ... the Olympic spirit," a Xinhua News Agency commentary said. Experts say this is indicative of where the "danger" lies - when nationalism appears to have gone too far, even for the state. "The CCP tries to exploit online nationalism for its own purposes, but events like this show that once Chinese citizens get riled up, the state has great difficulty in controlling these feelings," Dr Hassid said. "Exploiting nationalist sentiment is like riding a tiger. Once on board, it is difficult to control and hard to get off."Tokyo 2020 might be short on spectators, but a great deal of planning has gone into the venues hosting events.
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