What's so great about 199 gold?

The Asian Games concluded last night, with China once again securing first place on the medal table with a commanding lead and 199 gold medals. But what's so special about 199 gold medals?

The purpose of sports is to improve physical health, and sports should be based on love and interest. But what about sports in China today? Children as young as two or three are forced to train. Many children don't know why they are participating in this sport. They just persist until adulthood under the slogan of "winning glory for the motherland." Some can't keep going and give up. Of those who persist, only a few can achieve results. The others become guinea pigs, wasting their precious youth.

It would be strange if athletes trained like this didn't win against amateur athletes from other countries. This time, we shouldn't talk about what a breakthrough 199 gold medals represented; we should be asking why we didn't sweep all the gold medals. Why can't this kind of grueling training be applied to all unprofessional events in other countries?

Sports should primarily focus on developing mass participation. In today's rapidly developing China, we no longer need gold medals to prove our strength. Look at our three major ball sports (basketball, volleyball, and football) – they're nothing on the world stage. Why? Because other countries have a strong foundation in these sports; their people enjoy them, everyone plays, and naturally, some talented individuals emerge. The country only needs to select a few top players from universities. The Japanese national football team is a prime example. Having implemented professional football in the early 1990s, Japan has popularized the sport extensively over the past 20 years. In this Asian Games, they simply selected a few university students to form a team, and they won the championship.

Another drawback of medal-winning sports is the education of athletes, a problem most evident in football. Training begins from a young age, neglecting cultural and moral education, leading to many players having poor character and damaging the overall environment of football. After retirement, because they haven't received adequate education and acquired necessary knowledge, they struggle to adapt to society. Most retired athletes rely on government subsidies—isn't this a waste of taxpayers' money?

We should bid farewell to state-run sports and implement sports for all as soon as possible, moving away from sports focused on gold medals and political achievements, and allowing sports to develop in a healthy way. The number of gold medals is merely an empty honor; what truly proves whether a nation is a sporting power is the physical fitness of its citizens. The current approach is undoubtedly short-sighted, forcing growth, and will have endless consequences.