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Is there a political element?
The Guardian reported that in the wake of the 90s doping cases, Chinese officials had complained of Sinophobia, racism and ignorance of Chinese swimming culture.
On Sunday (Apr 28), Chinese state media Xinhua ran an article citing a commentary by two Australian scholars, concluding that its main point was that “Western observers tend to single out China in an unfair way”.
The commentary, first published on The Conversation, argued that “when it comes to China, many observers are quick to name and shame athletes, viewing every news story as some kind of proof the country must have a systemic, state-sanctioned doping programme”.
And the latest case comes amid an intense power struggle between a rising China and US whose dominance is being challenged, wrote the two sport academics from the University of Canberra.
But Dr Lim Tai Wei, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, said that beyond possible podium protests and further questions about testing procedures, this doping scandal was “unlikely to become a major strategic flashpoint” between China and the West.
There are many other more significant issues demanding attention, he said, pointing to disputes in maritime and tech to name a few.
Yet, such tensions often “strongly” correlate with athletic rivalries, said Assistant Professor Benjamin Ho from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
“Sport and politics often mirror one another in ways … there may be reputational costs for the Chinese.”
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