The Olympics in China are always a national event. Promotional material is spattered across vending machines, water bottles, and TV ads. This is, in any and every possible way, THE gargantuan sports event only rivaled by the World Cup. Unlike the World Cup, China is never a slouch or a no-show at the Olympics. In the previous two events (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), China’s Olympic teams achieved the second-highest count in total medals. With so many gold medalists in this country, there is no shortage of awe-inspiring athletes to watch. The following list is just a few of the amazing Chinese athletes that you should be aware of in case you are unsure who to follow in the Olympics.
Ma Long
Age: 35
Event(s): Men’s Singles Table Tennis
Experience: 2012 Gold, 2016 2x Gold, 2020 2x Gold
Photo: Xiaoyu Tang, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ma Long has already cemented his legacy as a table tennis legend, being recognized by nearly everybody as the greatest to ever play the sport. He has a table tennis record of 5 gold medals and in Tokyo became the first men’s singles player to receive consecutive gold medals. He has been the best at one of China’s most dominant sports, and it seems his run is coming to an end soon. Many signs point to Paris being Ma Long’s last run for gold, so catch a glimpse of this living legend before he hangs them up for good.
Gong Lijiao
Age: 35
Event(s): Women’s Shot Put
Experience: 2008 Bronze, 2012 Silver, 2020 Gold
Photo: Erik van Leeuwen, GFDL, Wikimedia Commons
Gong Lijiao’s story is one of purposeful dedication. She started out her athletic career as an encouraging prospect, ranking in bronze for the 2008 Olympics. Then, she ranked 4th for the 2012 Olympics, earning silver because two of the higher contested were disqualified for drug misuse. Gong Lijiao fire burned hotter than ever, eyes set only on the title. In the Rio Olympics in 2016, she placed 4th and was denied a medal completely. Instead of letting that failure get to her, it fueled her push for the 2020 Olympics. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Gong Lijiao won the gold and achieved her dream, (temporarily) satisfying her fire. Watch this hero give it another run as she attempts to add another gold to the already-decorated trophy case.
Li Fabin
Age: 31
Event(s): Men’s Olympic Lifting (61kg)
Experience: 2020 Gold Men’s Olympic Lifting (61kg)
While the Olympic accolades don’t necessarily reflect it, Li Fabin has been dominant in his category. In the last 5 years, Li Fabin has won 11 of the 12 events he has participated in (placing second in a ‘test event’ for the Tokyo Olympics). In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Li Fabin made a clean and jerk lift of 172kg (An Olympic Record) and proceeded to raise the bar above his head and raise one leg. To be able to pull off such an unprecedented physical activity and then casually raise a leg should speak to his dominance like nothing else. Watch this weightlifting sensation dominate his competition once again!
Quan Hongchan
Age: 17
Event(s): Platform Diving
Experience: 2020 Gold 10m Platform
Photo: China News Service, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Quan Hongchan took all of China by storm when she won the 10m platform Gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Out of her five final dives, three of them garnered perfect scores. What’s most astounding is that Quan Hongchan did all of this at the age of 14! She started earlier and trained harder than all of her competitors, and now she has a distinguished career at the age of 17. With five world titles (and the Olympic gold) so early in her diving career, watch this accomplished young diver add to her growing legacy.
Women's Volleyball Team
Experience: 3x Gold, most recent Rio 2016
Photo: Jeffrey Ng, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Women’s Olympic Volleyball team is a highly publicized sport in China. You might have seen several advertisements on water bottles or your mobile devices. When the women’s volleyball team won it all in Rio (defeating Serbia), China celebrated its difficult victory. However, with this high came the lowest of lows, as China’s women’s volleyball team failed to even qualify for the Olympics in 2020. This time around, with the return of their superstar Zhu Ting, watch China forget their 2020 blunder and recapture their crown.
Zhu Ting
Age: 29
Event(s): Women’s Volleyball
Experience: 2016 Gold Women’s Volleyball
Photo: Jeffrey Ng, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Zhu Ting is one of the world’s most threatening spikers, towering at 1.98 meters. In her prime, she led the charge for China’s victory over Serbia in 2016. However, in the years ensuing the 2016 Olympics, Zhu Ting has dealt with lengthy wrist injuries that have significantly limited her career. In July 2022, she sign with an Italian club to practice her skills in Euorpe, ultimately setting her sights on the 2024 Olympics. Now that the moment is finally here, Zhu Ting feels more healthy, refreshed and motivated than ever. Watch this 2016 Chinese legend help China try to win it all once again.
New Sports
Sports Climbing
Sport Climbing first debuted in the 2020 Tokyo Games and, in Paris, the Olympic Committee will further expand climbing’s influence. When in 2020 there was only a single combined medal (where the winner had the most points across multiple climbing events), in 2024 there is a bouldering and lead event along with a speed event. In bouldering and lead events, climbers must complete as many walls and/or go as high as possible within a certain allotted amount of time. In the speed event, climbing athletes will compete a race side-by-side on a wall, with the winner being the fastest to reach the top.
Luo Zhilu
Age: 18
Event(s): Women’s Boulder & Lead Climbing
Luo Zhilu does not have any olympic experience, but do not let that fool you. She has been participating at the highest boulder & lead level for her entire life, and she is now ready to take her talents to the world stage. In the final qualifier Boulder & Lead round right here in Shanghai, Luo Zhilu ranked seventh and easily secured her qualification in the Olympics. Watch this woman in one of the newest Olympic sports try to take home China’s first Gold!
Break Dancing
Break Dancing will be included for the first time ever in the Olympics! The origins of break dancing trace back to the Bronx (New York City) in the 1970s, and now it has become popular worldwide. Breakdancing already has its own set of international events and world championships, so it was only a matter of time before it burst onto the Olympic scene. Breakdancing is currently critiqued by six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality.
Liu Qingyi
Age: 18
Event(s): Women’s Break Dancing
Liu Qingyi made history in 2022 at the Outbreak 2022 street dance competition by becoming the first Chinese world breakdancing medalist. Ever since her first medal, B-girl 671 (Liu Qingyi) has become the face of Asia in the global breaking community. Since Liu Qingyi is the only female breaker in Asia who achieved a quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics, she has a lot of pressure on her shoulders. However, all of the pressure on Liu Qingyi does not hinder her, as she has honed her focus to forget all else amid her dance. Watch Liu Qingyi perform at the Olympic debut of break dancing, a new and exciting sport for all viewers!
When To Watch All Your Favorite Stars!
First, keep in mind that Paris is 6 hours behind China Standard Time, so the time of day for events scheduled in Paris will not be the same for Shanghai. All dates and times shown below are for Beijing Time.
Event Times: July 27-August 4
Medal Event Day for Men’s Singles August 4
Men’s Singles Table Tennis Bronze Medal Match August 4 19:30 Beijing Time
Men’s Singles Table Tennis Gold Medal Match August 4 20:30 Beijing Time
Event Times: August 8 and August 10
Medal Event Day for Women’s Shotput August 10
Women’s Shot Put Qualifications August 8 16:25 Beijing Time
Women’s Shot Put Finals August 10 01:40 Beijing Time
Event Times: August 7
Men’s 61kg Event August 7 21:00 Beijing Time
Event Times: August 5 and August 6
Medal Event Day for Women’s 10m Platform Final August 6
Women’s 10m Platform Finals August 6 21:00 Beijing Time
Event Times: July 28-August 11
Medal Event Days for Women’s Volleyball August 10 and August 11
Women's Volleyball Bronze Medal Match August 10 23:15 Beijing Time
Women's Volleyball Gold Medal Match August 11 19:00 Beijing Time
Photo: Ibex73, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Women's Boulder and Lead Climbing (Luo Zhilu)
Event Times: August 6-August 10
Medal Event Days for Women’s Boulder and Lead August 10
Women’s Boulder and Lead Final - Boulder August 10 16:15 Beijing Time
Women’s Boulder and Lead Final - Lead (Gold Medal Event) August 10 18:28 Beijing Time
Event Times: August 9-August 10
Medal Event Days for Women’s Breaking August 10
B-Girls Bronze Medal Match August 10 03:14 Beijing Time
B-Girls Gold Medal Match August 10 03:23 Beijing Time
For the full schedule: https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule
How To Watch All Your Favorite Stars!
Since NBC has the broadcasting rights to the Olympics in the U.S., if you have a cable connection to NBC you will be able to watch the Olympic Games. A more reasonable alternative for Chinese residents is Peacock (NBC’s official streaming service), which will also stream all Olympic events and activities.
For Chinese cable users, CMG will be the official broadcaster of all Olympic activities. Make sure to check all CCTV channels for the correct broadcaster (based on prior experience it should be CCTV5 but it is by no means a guarantee).
