Gotta give props to the American table tennis commentator on channel 7 braodcast. I don't know his name but he was pretty funny and enthusiastic. And in contrast to the usual foreign commentary style on china athletes he was full of complement and praise. In fact outright adoration. Not just China athletes but the training system and coaching. He did mention how players need to behave and stuff but there wasn't the usual negative connotation.
Also the table tennis commentator on Chinese TV is cute. I got this from weibo. I can't get Chinese stream so I actually cannot confirm if she really is the one though. Her name is 高菡
Adoration comes after acceptance of another's dominance. Shi Zhiyong, the lifter who won the 73kg gold medal in weightlifting, is known for being a potty mouth. He sometimes shouts, "Wo cao!" when he lifts. He may mutter it during the lift and the he may shout it again after a successful lift. His coaches have told him to stop dropping the F bomb over and over again on live TV during Chinese national comps but he says he can't help it because it just comes out when he's excited. Since he became dominant, "wo cao" has become a sensation in the weightlifting world. Weightlifting fans from countries all over the world buy shirts that say "Wo Cao!" and they sometimes shout it too, often without understanding the meaning or how to actually pronounce it.
Lesson: Strength and hard power is the only way to attain soft and cultural power.
Interestingly, Shi in incredibly generous and not much for business. When Seb of Weightlifting House asked Shi if he could use his image with "Wo Cao" to sell overpriced t-shirts, Shi said no problem without asking for any part of the profits.
