Tokyo 2020
China proclaims itself the winner of the Olympic Games – with medals from Taiwan and Hong Kong
In Tokyo, the Chinese athletes were able to cheer – with a total of 88 medals, they came in second behind the USA with 113 medals
© Swen gatekeeper / DPA
The Olympic Games in Tokyo were over for a week, the biggest winners are the USA according to the official count of the International Olympic Committee. According to the state media, the Chinese government seems to see it differently.
Actually, there is not so much to shake with official tables, figures and facts. Unless you spin it like Chinese state media and take on other countries that are Chinese territories but have their own government and have therefore also sent their own national teams to Japan. Namely: Hong Kong and Taiwan. This was documented by a long-time China correspondent, Don Weinland, who currently reports for the weekly newspaper “The Economist” from Hong Kong. Weinland shared a screenshot from the “Weibo” messenger app on Twitter, which instead of China’s 88 medals, including 38 gold medals, suddenly shows 42 gold medals and 106 total medals.
And where do these 18 additional medals come from?
The screenshot that was circulated does not reflect the official medal table of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) according to which the US won both the gold medal count and the overall medal count. Rather, the medal table shared by the state in Chinese networks shows China in first place. 18 other medals that were not won by the Chinese national team, but rather by the so-called special administrative zones of Hong Kong and Taiwan – which actually competed with their own national teams, make it possible.
The island nation of Taiwan was able to secure 36th place in the overall ranking with twelve medals (two gold, four silver, six bronze). Hong Kong won a total of six medals (one gold, two silver, three bronze) and finished in 49th place. When these medals are added to those of mainland China, they put China in first place thanks to the gold medal ranking. Voilá.
Political tensions have existed in the regions for years
Both Hong Kong and Taiwan are special administrative areas with their own governments and legislation. They are reacted according to the principle of “one country, two systems”, which has long made it possible for the countries to have more liberal legislation with basic democratic values such as freedom of the press, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. However, relations with mainland China have been complicated for years and their influence is growing.
In 2019, pro-democracy forces demonstrated in Hong Kong for weeks, fearing China’s rapprochement with more restrictive legislation. The protests grew until the government passed the “security law” criminalizing anything that could be considered separatist, terrorist or subversive. Since then, many people have fled the metropolis and there have been hundreds of arrests.
Swell: “Daily mail” / Twitter Don Winland / Federal Agency for Civic Education
