Chinese delegation entering the stadium at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Photos on this page: IC

Editor's Note: 

The year 2024 has been a momentous one for Chinese sports. On the global stage, Chinese athletes excelled at the Paris 2024 Olympics, bringing home an impressive haul of 91 medals — 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze — the nation's best performance at the Olympic Games hosted abroad. Yet, the struggles of the country's major ball sports — soccer, basketball, and volleyball — highlight the need for sustained improvement. Global Times reporter Lu Wenao reflects on this pivotal year for Chinese sports.

China's sports authority, the General Administration of Sport (GAS), released a score report of Chinese athletes in 2024 on Thursday, which said that Chinese athletes won 194 world championships across 33 events, setting a record for the highest number in history, while also breaking 19 world records. Among them, there are 84 Olympic champions and 110 non-Olympic champions.

Two football players at the First National Youth Games for Football, Basketball, and Volleyball of China

Olympic glory

At the prestigious Olympics, it witnessed China's dominance in traditional strongholds like table tennis and diving, with both disciplines achieving a clean sweep of gold medals. The shooting team set a new benchmark with its best-ever Olympic performance, while the weightlifting squad secured five gold medals from six competitors.

Beyond these established powerhouses, young athletes emerged as the vanguard of China's Olympic success. 

China's 20-year-old Pan Zhanle's world record-breaking performance in the men's 100-meter freestyle thrilled Chinese swimming fans, on top of his contribution in the men's mixed 4x100m relay team which dethroned the 40-year-reign of the US in the discipline. 

What's more notable, 22-year-old Zheng Qinwen's historic victory in the women's tennis singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics marked a culminating point, igniting fresh hopes for the sport to grow in China.

Additionally, China celebrated its first Olympic gold medals in artistic swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and women's boxing. The debut of Chinese freestyle BMX riders on the Olympic stage was capped by a stunning victory by 19-year-old Deng Yawen in BMX freestyle, showcasing China's growing versatility in sports traditionally dominated by other countries.

Cao Yaqi, vice editor-in-chief of the Titan Sports newspaper, told the Global Times that the achievements at the Olympics, where China leveled the US in gold medals, represent not just tradition but also bear the fruit of the meticulous planning from China's sports bodies and consistent execution of performance by our athletes," Cao told the Global Times. "They symbolize the strength of our foundational sports programs on the global stage."

Surge in sports enthusiasm

The Paris 2024 Olympics spurred an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm across China. 

Tennis saw a dramatic rise in popularity, driven by the success of Chinese players especially Zheng's Olympic gold medal win. Attendance and revenue for major tournaments such as the China Open, Shanghai Masters, and Wuhan Open hit record highs. 

Meanwhile, the World Table Tennis China Smash in Beijing attracted around 70,000 visitors to Shougang Park daily, underscoring the sport's enduring appeal in China.

"The ripple effects of the Olympic success in the racket sports extend beyond winning medals," Beijing-based sports commentator Zhang Bin told the Global Times.

"The packed stadiums in domestic tennis and table tennis events also lead to consumption growth in tourism and equipment purchases." 

Chinese winter sports athletes are also gearing up this year as a home Asian Winter Games looms in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in February 2025. 

The National Winter Games held in February 2024 saw the participation of 35 domestic delegations, with 17 of them being debutants, deepening China's squad depth in winter sports. 

Winter sport athletes have also bagged several gold medals in international competitions, including the short track team that has won four gold medals in World Tour events. 

In another noteworthy professional sport, a packed Shanghai International Circuit saw Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu driving a Formula One car in the Chinese Grand Prix on April 21, the first time for a Chinese national to do so in two decades since the F1 was held in Shanghai in 2004.

Grass-roots sports also flourished. Events like village football, village basketball, and village volleyball games were widely held across the country, while public enthusiasm for marathons has rebounded, with many runners integrating travel into their race plans, blending fitness with tourism.

Challenges in major ball sports

Amid these successes, the three major ball sports — soccer, basketball, and volleyball — remained mired in challenges. 

The men's football team was inconsistent since the start of the year at the Asian Cup until most recently at the World Cup Asian qualifiers matches, showing some rare improvement by securing two wins and a much-applauded performance in the home 3-1 defeat against Asia's top team Japan. 

The men's basketball team missed out on the Olympics for the second consecutive time, while the women's basketball team offered commendable performances. The women's volleyball team, long a symbol of national pride, fell short of reaching the Olympic semifinals in Paris.

The root causes of these struggles are multifaceted, with sports commentators say it encompasses talent pipelines, coaching standards, and governance.

Recognizing the urgency of reform, China's sport authority, the GAS, inaugurated the first National Youth Games for Football, Basketball, and Volleyball in 2024 to cultivate future talent. 

Gao Zhidan, head of the GAS, underscored the strategic importance of revitalizing the three major ball sports at the national sports directors' conference on December 24.

"Rejuvenating soccer, basketball, and volleyball is not just about achieving sporting success but also about enhancing China's international image and advancing broader sports reforms," he said.