Sports and art without borders? It sounds like a lie from the West to whitewash peace.
Just when Chinese sports are striding towards the global stage, our swimming team has been repeatedly splashed with dirty water, especially in those international competitions. Are these drug tests really as simple as checks? What is the real purpose behind it?
Why the questioning?
The Chinese swimming team has always been inexplicably caught in a drug test storm, especially some European and American media, accusing our athletes of doping every now and then.
Speaking of which, the most typical example is none other than Sun Yang. In 2012, he won two gold medals in the 400m and 1500m freestyle at the London Olympics, and then, at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, Sun Yang broke out again, winning three gold medals in the men's 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, although Sun Yang was injured, he still won the gold medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle and the silver medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle. But it is precisely because of this that he has become a "thorn in the side" in the eyes of some countries and the media.
Australia swimmer Horton even publicly accused Sun Yang of being a "drug liar" even after the 400-meter freestyle and refused to shake his hand. Although the Chinese Swimming Association and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly stated that they demanded an apology from Australia, the Western media seized the opportunity to hype up the matter, causing the matter to become more and more troublesome.
In 2020, Sun Yang was once again caught in a drug test turmoil, and he was banned for eight years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) because the staff did not have legal documents and did not cooperate with the drug test. This verdict is especially in China, where many believe that Sun Yang has been treated unfairly.
In the end, although the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland partially reversed the ban, CAS decided to maintain the ban after a retrial, but shortened the ban to four years and three months. As a result, Sun Yang still missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Is sports competition just the tip of the iceberg?
United States is well aware that sport is not only a symbol of national soft power, but also an important part of the national image. At the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, the Chinese delegation won a total of 38 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze medals, ranking second only to United States in the number of gold medals and medals.
United States has no choice but to use the means of the Angsa people to try to weaken China's national image on a global scale, and then affect China's voice in other international affairs.
Taking science and technology as an example, according to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the number of international patents applied for by China exceeded 70,000 for the first time in 2022, ranking first in the world for four consecutive years.
Economically, China's GDP in 2023 will be 126 trillion yuan (about 17.51 trillion US dollars), while the GDP of United States will be about 23 trillion US dollars.
On the military front, China's defense budget will reach about 1.55 trillion yuan (about 225 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, second only to United States.
Therefore, the competition in the field of sports is only a microcosm of the competition between the two countries, and no one cares about the "ants" under their feet United States United States.
In 2019, the Western media almost "attacked Hong Kong", portraying the Chinese government's legitimate law enforcement actions as "repression" while making no mention of the vandalism of violent protesters.
Mainstream media outlets like the BBC and CNN published more than 2,000 articles about Hong Kong in that six months, most of which were critical of the Chinese government.
This is the same operation as their crackdown on China in the field of international sports, all aimed at isolating China on a global scale. The United States Congress also passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which blatantly interferes in China's internal affairs.
This battle without gunpowder is actually an attempt to contain China in broader international affairs, and this encirclement is not limited to sports and politics, but also extends to science and technology, economics and other fields.
For example, on Huawei's 5G issue, the United States government claimed that Huawei's equipment was a "security threat" and called on its allies to refuse to use Huawei's 5G technology.
Huawei has repeatedly clarified that the United States has failed to provide any actual evidence to support this allegation. According to Huawei's financial report, it is affected by sanctions.
In mid-2021, Huawei's revenue fell by more than 250 billion yuan, and revenue in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas fell by 27.3%, 16.7%, and 26.3%, respectively. , the losses are huge.
China's contribution to the field of international public health is also a "yin and yang" in the Western media. Especially in the early days of the pandemic, some Western politicians and media politicized the issue of origin-tracing, smeared China's anti-epidemic efforts, and even spread the so-called "lab leak theory".
Although the World Health Organization's 2021 report made it clear that the likelihood of a lab leak was extremely low, the Western media still chose to downplay or distort the results.
When the narrow road meets, the brave wins
In response to these misconceptions and biases, China has significantly increased its investment in global media networks in an attempt to gain the initiative in the arena of international public opinion.
According to the United States Council on Foreign Relations, in 2016, China invested billions of dollars in global media networks, setting up multiple international media platforms such as CGTN (China Global Television Network) and Global Times English.
Although the influence of these platforms is not as good as CNN's coverage in 212 countries and regions around the world, they have gradually achieved good results.
For example, during the 2017 Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China carried out large-scale publicity through these platforms, attracting the attention of dignitaries and media from more than 100 countries. Such an international propaganda strategy can help China gain more support and understanding in the global arena of public opinion.
At the same time, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Culture, China conducts thousands of cultural activities around the world every year through cultural institutions such as Confucius Institutes, covering more than 160 countries. These activities, including language teaching, cultural exchanges, and art exhibitions, have effectively turned around China's image in the eyes of other countries.
Whether we are fighting on the field or competing on the international stage, we must keep in mind the self-confidence in the road, theory, system and culture proposed by General Secretary Xi.
These four self-confidence are the cornerstones of China's invincibility in global competition. Just as China's Pan Zhanle broke the world record held by himself with a time of 46.40 seconds, won the championship and won the gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle.
Therefore, we are the only ones who can defeat China. As long as we remain confident, no challenge can stop us from revival.
Resources:
Zhejiang Daily: Sun Yang hopes to leave good memories
Global Times: The United States unreasonably investigates the "doping incident of Chinese swimmers"
Xinhuanet: FINA World Federation: Without evidence, the food contamination incident of Chinese athletes will not be re-investigated
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