It definitely seems like there is a double standard when it comes to Chinese athletes. Western athletes can brag about their sacrifice and dedication, as a heroic act (see Citibank commercials about athletes not watching TV for a whole year, etc). However, when it's the Chinese athletes, somehow doing the same thing becomes a bad thing for the Chinese govn't... People always mention the state-run sports programs in China. Somehow it has been made out to sound like these kids have been dragged kicking and screaming into these schools. However, the fact is the recruitment process is more like American Idle or America Got Talent. The recruit team goes to a city and post ads and asking those interested come to a stadium for physical tests. When a kid passes the test, he/she would be recommended for certain programs based on their physical characteristics. Whether the kid would join such program is all up to the kid and his/her parents. That's why you always hear some athletes from poor families. These kids can endure hardship of training better and the possibility of glory also becomes a big motivation for these kids from poor families. Kids from wealthy families, however, have many more options and choose NOT to go through these programs even if they have the physical capability to do so. So it is obvious that these programs are completely voluntary. If these kids are forced into these programs, there would be equal amount of kids from wealthy families and from poor families. As a matter of fact, there should be even more wealthy kids in these programs if they are forced into it since wealthy kids get better nutrition and can be physically more fit than those kids from poor families. Yet, it is a opposite. So it is clear this is a voluntary since joining these sport programs is a better alternative for kids from poor families. So those who come for the test and who eventually got recruited into the program are almost always the ones who WANTED to join the programs.
And yes, they are pushed hard in the programs, but they can quit any time they want. There is no barbed wire and no high walls trapping them inside of a compound. These kids can leave whenever they want if they don't want to be the program anymore. Those who eventually decided to stay and thrive are the ones who have dedication and are willing to sacrifice to perfect their craft. I don't know the statistics, but I can imagine, for one that eventually succeed in China's sports program, many more cannot stand the hard work and quit in the middle of it.
About the badminton scandal. I can't believe they made such a big deal out of it. When was the last time you see a sport team intentionally lose to get a better position in the Playoffs? Well, probably a couple days ago... It is such a common thing for many teams to do that. In the NBA, many teams intentionally lose to manipulate their position in the Playoffs so that they can face an opponent that is a better match-up for them. In baseball, they intentionally walk an efficient hitter to prevent potential home runs. This is called strategy. If anything, IOC should bare most of the blame for coming up with the "group" event.
