China at the Olympics

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China at the
All-time Olympic Games
IOC codeCHN
NOCChinese Olympic Committee
Websitewww.olympic.cn (in Chinese)
Medals
Ranked 5th
Gold
285
Silver
231
Bronze
197
Total
713
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
 Republic of China (1924–1972)
Number of medals won by China at Olympic summer games from 1952 to 2020
Number of medals won by China at Olympic winter games from 1980 to 2022

Originally having participated in Olympics as the delegation of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1924 Summer Olympics to 1976 Winter Olympics,China competed at the Olympic Games under the name of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the first time in 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland, although they only arrived in time during the last days to participate in a one event.[1] That year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed both the PRC and ROC (Republic of China) (which fled to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War) to compete with the name "China", although the latter withdrew in protest.[1] Due to the dispute over the political status of the "two Chinas", the PRC started a period of isolationism, withdrawing from several international sporting bodies and the UN system until the mid-1970s, when the country participated for the first time in the Asian Games in 1974 and the World University Games in 1977. Returning to the IOC officially only in 1979, which gave it the right to send an official delegation, starting from the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States.[1] Their first appearance at the Summer Olympic Games after 1952 was the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.[2][3] The People's Republic of China staged boycotts of the Games of the XVI Olympiad in Melbourne, Australia, Games of the XVII Olympiad in Rome, Italy, Games of the XVIII Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan, Games of the XIX Olympiad in Mexico City, Mexico, Games of the XX Olympiad in Munich, Germany, and Games of the XXI Olympiad in Montreal, Canada. China also boycott the Games of the XXII Olympiad in Moscow, USSR due to the American-led boycott and the ongoing Sino-Soviet split, together with the other countries.

As of 2022, China has finished first in the Summer Olympics once, second three times, third twice and third once in the Winter Olympics. With the nation's 11th appearance at the Summer and 12th appearance at the Winter Olympics, China is the most successful country overall in the AsiaOceania region, making them the 5th most successful country in Olympics history, after the US, the Soviet Union, Germany and Great Britain.

The Chinese Olympic Committee in its current form was recognized in 1979.[1] Before the Chinese Civil War, athletes competed as the Republic of China (ROC) at the Olympics. The ROC continued to compete from 1952 (Summer Olympics) to 1976 (Winter Olympics), but only representing athletes from the island of Taiwan (although the football team members of ROC in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games were overseas Hong Kongers). The dispute over use of the name China resulted in the PRC boycotting the Games completely during these years. In 1979, the International Olympic Committee The two parties signed the Nagoya Protocol in which both National Olympic Committees recognized each other. However, the name "China" would be owned by the National Olympic Committee of the People's Republic of China, based in Beijing. While, from now on, the Headquartered in Taipei, it would be called as Chinese Taipei,which also regulated the use of national symbols during the Games and any related event.And this reopened the door for the PRC to finally join the Olympic movement.[1]

Hong Kong has had a distinct National Olympic Committee since 1950 and has competed at the Games since 1952.[4] After the territory was returned to the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was created in 1997, this arrangement has continued, with Hong Kong competing independently from the rest of the nation under the name Hong Kong, China.[4]

Olympic bids and hosted Games[edit]

The People's Republic of China has hosted the Games on two occasions: in 2008 and in 2022. Beijing is the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Hosted Games[edit]

Games Host city Dates Nations Participants Events
2008 Summer Olympics Beijing August 8–24 204 10,942 302
2022 Winter Olympics Beijing February 4–20 91 2,871 109

Unsuccessful bids[edit]

Games City Winner of bid
2000 Summer Olympics Beijing Sydney, Australia
2010 Winter Olympics Harbin Vancouver, Canada

Overview of Olympic participation[edit]

Timeline of participation[edit]

Date Team
1948 China
1952 People's Republic of China
1956–1976 Republic of China
1980  China (CHN)
1984–  Chinese Taipei (TPE)

Medals by sports[edit]

Best results in non-medaling sports:

Summer
Sport Rank Athlete Event & Year
Equestrian 8th Alex Hua Tian Individual eventing in 2016
Rugby 7th China women's team Women's tournament in 2020
Skateboarding 6th Zeng Wenhui Women's street in 2020
Surfing did not participate
Sport climbing 12th Song Yiling Women's combined in 2020
Triathlon 32nd Wang Dan Women's individual in 2000
Water polo 5th China women's team Women's tournament in 2008
Women's tournament in 2012
Winter
Sport Rank Athlete Event & Year
Alpine skiing 16th Zhang Yangming Men's combined in 2022
Biathlon 5th Yu Shumei Women's sprint in 1998
Bobsleigh 6th Huai Mingming Women's monobob in 2022
Cross-country skiing 10th Chi Chunxue
Li Xin
Jialin Bayani
Ma Qinghua
Women's 4 × 5 km relay in 2022
Ice hockey 4th China women's team Women's tournament in 1998
Luge 12th Wang Peixuan
Fan Duoyao
Huang Yebo & Peng Junyue
Mixed team relay in 2022
Nordic combined 10th Zhao Zihe
Zhao Jiawen
Guo Yuhao
Fan Haibin
Men's team large hill/4 × 5 km in 2022
Ski jumping 10th Dong Bing
Peng Qingyue
Song Qiwu
Zhao Jiawen
Mixed team in 2022

Doping[edit]

A former Chinese doctor named Xue Yinxian has claimed the occurrence of alleged systematic doping of Chinese athletes in the Olympic Games (and other international sport events) in 2012 and 2017. She claims more than 10,000 athletes in China were doped in the systematic Chinese government doping program and that they received performance-enhancing drugs in the 1980s and 1990s. She claims that all international medals (both in the Olympics and other international competitions) that were won by Chinese athletes in the 1980s and 1990s must be revoked. This is contrary to previous statements by the Chinese government that had denied involvement in systematic doping and claimed that athletes doped individually. The International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency investigated these allegations with no conclusions or actions taken.[5][6][7][8][9]

Disqualified/upgraded medalists[edit]

Disqualified medalists[edit]

China has had four Olympic medals stripped after disqualifications.[10]

Medal Name Sport Event Date
 Bronze Team China Gymnastics Women's artistic team all-around September 19, 2000
 Gold Chen Xiexia Weightlifting Women's 48 kg August 9, 2008
 Gold Liu Chunhong Weightlifting Women's 69 kg August 13, 2008
 Gold Cao Lei Weightlifting Women's 75 kg August 15, 2008

Upgraded medalists[edit]

Original Place Upgraded Medal Name Olympics Sport Event Date
 Bronze  Silver He Yingqiang Seoul 1988 Weightlifting Men's 56 kg September 19, 1988
4th place  Bronze Liu Shoubin Seoul 1988 Weightlifting Men's 56 kg September 19, 1988
4th place  Bronze Li Jinhe Seoul 1988 Weightlifting Men's 67.5 kg September 21, 1988
4th place  Bronze Liu Xuan Sydney 2000 Gymnastics Women's artistic individual all-around September 21, 2000
 Bronze  Silver Tan Zongliang Beijing 2008 Shooting Men's 50 metre pistol August 12, 2008
4th place  Bronze Sheng Jiang Beijing 2008 Wrestling Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg August 12, 2008
5th place  Bronze Gong Lijiao Beijing 2008 Athletics Women's shot put August 16, 2008
4th place  Bronze Song Aimin Beijing 2008 Athletics Women's discus throw August 18, 2008
 Bronze  Silver Zhang Wenxiu Beijing 2008 Athletics Women's hammer throw August 20, 2008
 Bronze  Silver Li Yanfeng London 2012 Athletics Women's discus throw August 4, 2012
4th place  Silver Gong Lijiao London 2012 Athletics Women's shot put August 6, 2012
5th place  Bronze Li Ling London 2012 Athletics Women's shot put August 6, 2012
4th place  Bronze Zhang Wenxiu London 2012 Athletics Women's hammer throw August 10, 2012
 Bronze  Silver Si Tianfeng London 2012 Athletics Men's 50 kilometres walk August 11, 2012
 Bronze  Gold Qieyang Shijie London 2012 Athletics Women's 20 kilometres walk August 11, 2012
4th place  Silver Liu Hong London 2012 Athletics Women's 20 kilometres walk August 11, 2012
6th place  Bronze Lü Xiuzhi London 2012 Athletics Women's 20 kilometres walk August 11, 2012
 Silver  Gold Lü Xiaojun Rio 2016 Weightlifting Men's 77 kg August 10, 2016
4th place  Bronze Team China:
Tang Xingqiang
Xie Zhenye
Su Bingtian
Wu Zhiqiang
Tokyo 2020 Athletics Men's 4 × 100 metres relay August 6, 2021

History[edit]

Early appearance and hiatus[edit]

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, PRC sent a delegation to the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. The Chinese delegation (including athletes and officials) consisted of 38 men and 2 women,[11] including the men's football team, the men's basketball team, and one swimmer. Only the swimmer arrived in time to take part in the official competition, and the football team played two friendly matches.[12] The Chinese stayed ten days in Helsinki and participated in the closing ceremony. The Republic of China's (ROC) team withdrew from the Games on July 17 in response to the IOC's decision to allow both PRC and ROC sportsmen and women to compete.[13] This marked the beginning of the "two Chinas" conflict in the Olympic Movement, which resulted in the Chinese Olympic Committee's withdrawal from the IOC in August 1958.

In the 1970s, China normalized her relations with the United States through Ping Pong Diplomacy, and established diplomatic relations with the United States on January 1, 1979. The normalization finally led to the Chinese Olympic Committee's return to the IOC on October 25, 1979.[11]

Sports summary[edit]

Till 2012, China won three-quarters of their gold medals (152 out of 201) and two-thirds of their medals (311 out of 473) in six sports: table tennis, badminton, diving, gymnastics, weightlifting, and shooting.

China recently dominated the gold medals in three of them, table tennis, badminton and diving. China won all golds four times in table tennis and one time in badminton, and won three-quarters of all diving golds since 1992.

The total dominance in table tennis and badminton also leads to negative consequences. Due to the low participations among non-Asian countries, these two sports may lose their positions in the Summer Olympics just like baseball and softball did after 2008.

While through the years, Chinese athletes got many breakthroughs in other sports that are traditionally China's weak sports. Among them, swimming is the potential one that may get into top five sports of China in the near future.

1984[edit]

China won 15 golds and ranked 4th at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Xu Haifeng won the first-ever gold medal for China in the shooting event of 50 m Pistol. It was called "a break through zero" – an event that brought great joy to the whole Chinese nation.[2]

Li Ning won six medals in gymnastics, 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze, earning him the nickname "Prince of Gymnasts" in China.[14] Six medals in a single Olympics is still the record for any Chinese athlete.

Chinese women's volleyball team defeated USA women's team in the final and won China's first ball-game gold medal.

1988[edit]

China won 5 golds and ranked 11th at the 1988 Summer Olympics at Seoul, South Korea.

Li Meisu won China's first medal in athletics.

China also won first medals in rowing. A silver in women's coxed fours and a bronze in women's eights

1992[edit]

China won 16 golds and ranked 4th at the 1992 Summer Olympics at Barcelona, Spain.

Chen Yueling won China's first athletics gold medal in women's 10 km walk.

Chinese female swimmers glittered with 4 golds and 5 silvers. But the success was later shadowed by the doping incident of Chinese swimmers just two years later at the 1994 Asian Games, although none of the medalists in 1992 was involved in the 1994 incident.

Deng Yaping won two table tennis golds in women's singles and women's doubles. IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch presented the gold medal to her after a promise made a year ago at 1991 World Table Tennis Championships.

Zhuang Xiaoyan won China's first judo gold medal in women's +72kg.

Zhang Xiaodong won silver medal in women's board (lechner), China's first medal in sailing.

Chinese women's basketball team lost final to Unified team, winning silver medal, China's best result in basketball.

1996[edit]

China won 16 golds and ranked 4th again at the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta, USA.

Fu Mingxia won two diving golds in women's 3 m springboard and women's 10 m platform, becoming the first female diver to accomplish this feat since 1960.

Deng Yaping won two golds in table tennis again, making her the first Chinese athlete to defend two events and win four Olympic gold medals. IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch presented the gold medal to her again after a promise made four years ago at 1992 Olympics.

Liu Guoliang also won two table tennis golds in men's events. China won all four golds in table tennis for the first time.

Wang Junxia won gold in women's 5000 m and silver in women's 10000 m.

Chinese women's football team lost final to the USA team, winning silver medal, China's first medal in football.

2000[edit]

China won 28 golds and ranked 3rd at the 2000 Summer Olympics at Sydney, Australia.

Wang Nan won two golds in table tennis, China again won all four golds in table tennis.

Chen Zhong won China's first taekwondo gold medal in women's +67kg.

Jiang Cuihua won bronze in women's track time trial, China's first medal in cycling. No ball-games team entered the final four, the worst performance China's since Olympic history.

2004[edit]

China won 32 golds and ranked 2nd at the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens, Greece.

Liu Xiang became the first Chinese male athlete to win gold medal in an Olympic track event, 110 m hurdles, equaling the world record of 12.91 seconds. He became the China's flag bearer at the closing ceremony. Liu broke the world record with 12.88 seconds two years later in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Wang Yifu participated the Olympics for the record six consecutive times. He won gold in 10 m air pistol, his second gold and fourth medal in the event.

Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun won China's first canoeing gold medal in men's C-2 500 m.

Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won China's first tennis gold medal in women's doubles.

Wang Xu won China's first wrestling gold medal in women's freestyle 72 kg.

Chinese women's volleyball team come back from 0–2 deficit to defeat Russia women's team 3–2 in the final, winning China's second ball-game gold medal after 20 years.

2008[edit]

As host country, China won 48 golds, 22 silvers and 30 bronze, total 100 medals, ranked 1st at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Guo Jingjing won two golds in diving, becoming the first Chinese diver to defend two events successfully.

Zhang Yining won two golds in table tennis, becoming the second Chinese table tennis player to defend two events successfully after Deng Yaping.

Ma Lin also won two table tennis golds in men's events. China won all four golds in table tennis for the third time.

Zhong Man won China's first men's fencing gold in men's sabre, 24 years after Luan Jujie won China's first women's fencing gold in 1984.

Zhang Juanjuan won China's first archery gold in women's individual, breaking the long-time Korean dominance in the sport.

Zou Shiming and Zhang Xiaoping won China's first boxing golds in men's events.

Yin Jian won China's first sailing gold in sailboard event in women's sailboard.

China won first rowing gold in women's quadruple sculls.

Chinese gymnasts won 11 golds, the best in history. Zou Kai won 3 golds in one team event and two individual events.

China's top star Liu Xiang pulled out of the first round of 110 m hurdles due to injury.

2012[edit]

China won 38 golds and finished 2nd at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain.

Sun Yang, the men's 1500 m freestyle world-record-holder before the Olympics, became the first Chinese male swimmer to win gold in Olympics. He won two golds in men's 400 m freestyle and men's 1500 m freestyle, breaking the Olympic record and his own world record respectively.

Ye Shiwen became the first Chinese female swimmer to win two golds in a single Olympics. She won golds in women's 200 m medley and women's 400 m medley, breaking the Olympic record and world record respectively.

Chen Ding won gold in men's 20 km walk, becoming the second Chinese male athlete to win Olympic athletics gold medal after Liu Xiang did in 2004.

Chen Ruolin won two golds in diving, becoming the second Chinese diver to defend two events successfully after Guo Jingjing.

Wu Minxia won diving gold in women's sync 3m springboard, becoming the only Chinese athlete to win three gold medals in a single event. She also won gold in women's 3m springboard, giving her all three medals in three participations in this event after silver in 2004 and bronze in 2008.

Zou Kai won two golds in gymnastics, becoming the only Chinese athlete to win five gold medals in Olympics.

Xu Lijia won gold in women's laser radial class, China's first gold medal in the sailboat event of sailing. She later became the China's flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

Lin Dan won badminton gold in men's singles, becoming the first athlete to defend the men's singles title in Olympic badminton history.

Zhao Yunlei won two golds in two badminton double events, becoming the only athlete to win two badminton gold medals in a single Olympics.

Cao Zhongrong won silver in men's event of modern pentathlon, China's first medal in the sport.

Chinese table tennis team won all four golds for the fourth time. Chinese badminton team won all five golds for the first time, but was a little shadowed by the disqualification of China's top seed women's double duo for not using best efforts.

China's top star Liu Xiang pulled out of the first round of 110 m hurdles due to injury again. Two of his three pull-outs in 12 years' career came from two Olympics first round heats.

No Chinese ball-game teams entered the final four, the worst performance in Chinese Summer Olympics history.

2016[edit]

China won 26 golds and ranked 3rd at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sun Yang won a gold medal in men's 200 m freestyle, becoming the only Chinese male swimmer to have won gold in 2 Olympic games.

Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi won China's first cycling gold medal in women's team sprint.

Feng Shanshan won China's first golf medal.

Dong Bin set a new personal best (17.58 meters) in the men's triple jump event and won a bronze medal. This was China's first medal from Olympic triple jump events.

Chinese women's volleyball team won a third gold medal after 12 years.

Wu Minxia defended her Women's 3m Synchro event for the fourth time, becoming the only Chinese athlete to ever do so. This also makes her the most successful Chinese athlete of all time, with 5 Golds, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze.

2020[edit]

China won 38 gold, 32 silver, 18 bronze medals and ranked 2nd at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan in August 2021.

Su Bingtian finished the men's 100 m semi-final with a new Asian Record at 9.83 seconds, and became the first Chinese athlete and second Asian athlete to compete in a 100 m final, in which he finished as the 6th place. He was also the flag bearer in the closing ceremony. With him, Chinese relay team won China's first medal in athletic relays.

Gong Lijiao won a gold medal in women's shot put and become the first ever Chinese athlete to won a gold medal in any field events and the first Asian to win an Olympic gold medal in women's shot put.

Liu Shiying won a gold medal in women's javelin throw. She became the first Asian and Chinese to win a gold medal in Olympic javelin throw events.

Lü Xiaojun lifted a combined weight of 374 kg to win a gold medal in the men's 81 kg weightlifting event. This was his third Olympic medal. He also became the oldest weightlifter champion (37 years and 4 days) in modern Olympics. He became the first ever Chinese athlete to win three gold medals in an individual event, after promoted a gold medal.

Winter Games[edit]

Sports summary[edit]

China won medals in only 6 of the 15 Winter Olympics sports. Most of the golds and half of the medals come from short track speed skating.

1980–1988[edit]

No medals.

1992–1998[edit]

Ye Qiaobo won China's first Winter Olympics medal in speed skating.

Chen Lu won consecutive bronze medals in 1994 and 1998, becoming the first Chinese figure skater to medal at the Winter Olympic Games.

2002[edit]

Yang Yang (A) won first Winter Olympics gold medal in short track speed skating, as the first gold medal for Team China in Olympic Winter Games.

2006[edit]

Han Xiaopeng, first male athlete to win Winter Olympics gold medal in freestyle skiing.

2010[edit]

Wang Meng shined in short track speed skating with three golds.

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo finally won figure skating gold in the event of pair skating after four participations.

Wang Bingyu and her team (Yue Qingshuang, Liu Yin, Zhou Yan and Liu Jinli) created history by winning the first curling Olympic medal for China in the women's tournament.

2014[edit]

China won 3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze medals and ranked 12th at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in February 2014.

Zhang Hong won first Chinese gold medal in speed skating.

2018[edit]

China won 1 gold, 6 silver, 2 bronze medals and ranked 16th at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018.

Liu Jiayu won first ever Olympic medal in snowboarding for China.

Wu Dajing became the first Chinese male short track speed skating Olympic champion by breaking the world record at the 500-metre event.

2022[edit]

China won 9 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze medals and ranked 3rd at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China in February 2022, as the first ever home winter games.

Ailing Eileen Gu became the first ever freestyle skier to win three medals at one Olympic Game, the first female Chinese gold medalist in freestyle skiing, and the most successful freestyle skier ever in Olympic freestyle skiing event (with 2 gold medals and 1 silver medals).

Yan Wengang won the first ever medal in skeleton for Team China, bronze in men's single.

Xu Mengtao finally won the first ever gold in women's aerial since the first silver medal won by Xu Nannan in Nagano 1998 and 5 silver medals & 2 bronze medals won by Team China in this event at former games.

Su Yiming became the first Chinese athlete to win a gold in Olympic snowboarding events.

Gao Tingyu became the first Chinese male athlete to win a gold in Olympic speed skating events.

Medalists[edit]

Summer Olympics[edit]

Since Chinese athletes are more likely to compete in more than one event in the sport of diving, gymnastics, table tennis, swimming, and more likely to compete in several Olympic games in the sport of shooting, most multiple medalists listed in the following three tables come from these five sports.

Multiple medalists[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least three gold medals or five medals at the Summer Olympics.

Name Sport Years Played Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
5 or more Gold medals
Wu Minxia Diving 2004–2016 4 F 5 1 1 7
Zou Kai Gymnastics 2008–2012 2 M 5 0 1 6
Ma Long Table tennis 2012–2020 3 M 5 0 0 5
Chen Ruolin Diving 2008–2016 3 F 5 0 0 5
4 Gold medals
Guo Jingjing Diving 1996–2008 4 F 4 2 0 6
Fu Mingxia Diving 1992–2000 3 F 4 1 0 5
Wang Nan Table tennis 2000–2008 3 F 4 1 0 5
Shi Tingmao Diving 2016–2020 2 F 4 0 0 4
Li Xiaopeng Gymnastics 2000–2008 3 M 4 0 1 5
Deng Yaping Table tennis 1992–1996 2 F 4 0 0 4
Zhang Yining Table tennis 2004–2008 2 F 4 0 0 4
3 Gold medals
Li Ning Gymnastics 1984–1988 2 M 3 2 1 6
Sun Yang Swimming 2008–2016 3 M 3 2 1 6
Yang Wei Gymnastics 2000–2008 3 M 3 2 0 5
Xiong Ni Diving 1988–2000 4 M 3 1 1 5
Chen Yibing Gymnastics 2008–2012 2 M 3 1 0 4
Zhang Jike Table tennis 2012–2016 2 M 3 1 0 4
Li Xiaoxia Table tennis 2012–2016 2 F 3 1 0 4
Ding Ning Table tennis 2012–2016 2 F 3 1 0 4
Ma Lin Table tennis 2004–2008 2 M 3 0 0 3
5 or more medals
Li Xiaoshuang Gymnastics 1992–1996 2 M 2 3 1 6
Wang Yifu Shooting 1984–2004 6 M 2 3 1 6
Wang Hao Table tennis 2004–2012 3 M 2 3 0 5
Lou Yun Gymnastics 1984–1988 2 M 2 2 1 5
Qin Kai Diving 2008–2016 3 M 2 1 2 5
Huang Xuechen Synchronized swimming 2008–2020 4 W 0 5 2 7
Sun Wenyan Synchronized swimming 2012–2020 3 W 0 5 0 6

Multiple gold medalists at a single game[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least two gold medals at a single Summer Olympics. Order first by golds, then by sports, then by year.

Name Sport Year Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
3 Gold medals
Li Ning Gymnastics 1984 M 3 2 1 6
Zou Kai Gymnastics 2008 M 3 0 0 3
2 Gold medals
Badminton
Zhao Yunlei Badminton 2012 F 2 0 0 2
Diving
Fu Mingxia Diving 1996 F 2 0 0 2
Xiong Ni Diving 2000 M 2 0 0 2
Guo Jingjing Diving 2004 F 2 0 0 2
Guo Jingjing Diving 2008 F 2 0 0 2
Chen Ruolin Diving 2008 F 2 0 0 2
Chen Ruolin Diving 2012 F 2 0 0 2
Wu Minxia Diving 2012 F 2 0 0 2
Chen Aisen Diving 2016 M 2 0 0 2
Shi Tingmao Diving 2016 F 2 0 0 2
Xie Siyi Diving 2020 M 2 0 0 2
Shi Tingmao Diving 2020 F 2 0 0 2
Gymnastics
Li Xiaopeng Gymnastics 2000 M 2 0 0 2
Li Xiaopeng Gymnastics 2008 M 2 0 0 2
Yang Wei Gymnastics 2008 M 2 1 0 3
Xiao Qin Gymnastics 2008 M 2 0 0 2
Chen Yibing Gymnastics 2008 M 2 0 0 2
He Kexin Gymnastics 2008 F 2 0 0 2
Zou Kai Gymnastics 2012 M 2 0 1 3
Feng Zhe Gymnastics 2012 M 2 0 0 2
Swimming
Sun Yang Swimming 2012 M 2 1 1 4
Ye Shiwen Swimming 2012 F 2 0 0 2
Zhang Yufei Swimming 2020 F 2 2 0 4
Table tennis
Deng Yaping Table tennis 1992 F 2 0 0 2
Deng Yaping Table tennis 1996 F 2 0 0 2
Liu Guoliang Table tennis 1996 M 2 0 0 2
Wang Nan Table tennis 2000 F 2 0 0 2
Zhang Yining Table tennis 2004 F 2 0 0 2
Zhang Yining Table tennis 2008 F 2 0 0 2
Ma Lin Table tennis 2008 M 2 0 0 2
Li Xiaoxia Table tennis 2012 F 2 0 0 2
Zhang Jike Table tennis 2012 M 2 0 0 2
Ma Long Table tennis 2016 M 2 0 0 2
Ding Ning Table tennis 2016 F 2 0 0 2
Ma Long Table tennis 2020 M 2 0 0 2
Chen Meng Table tennis 2020 F 2 0 0 2

Multiple medalists in a single event[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least three medals in a single event at Summer Olympics. Order first by medals, then by sport, then by golds.

Name Sport Event Years Played Gender Gold Silver Bronze Medal Total
4 Gold medals
Wu Minxia Diving Women's Synchro 3m Springboard 2004–2016 4 F 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 4–0–0 4
4 medals
Huang Xuechen Artistic swimming Team 2008–2020 4 F 2012, 2016, 2020 2008 0–3–1 4
Wang Yifu Shooting Men's 10 m air pistol 1984–2004 52 M 1992, 2004 1996, 2000 2–2–0 4
Dong Dong Trampoline gymnastics Men's Individual Trampoline 2008–2020 4 M 2012 2016, 2020 2008 1–2–1 4
3 Gold medals
Lü Xiaojun Weightlifting Men's 77/81 kg5 2012–2020 3 M 2012, 2016, 2020 3–0–0 3
Ma Long Table tennis Men's team 2012–2020 3 M 2012, 2016, 2020 3–0–0 3
Chen Ruolin Diving Women's Synchro 10m platform 2008–2016 3 F 2008, 2012, 2016 3–0–0 3
3 medals
Huang Xuechen Artistic swimming Duet 2012–2020 3 F 2016, 2020 2012 0–2–1 3
Liu Hong Athletics Women's 20 km walk 2008–2020 4 M 2016 2012 2020 1–1–1 3
Zou Shiming Boxing Men's light flyweight 2004–2012 3 M 2008, 2012 2004 2–0–1 3
Chen Long Badminton Men's singles 2012–2020 3 M 2016 2020 2012 1–1–1 3
Fu Haifeng Badminton Men's doubles 2004–2016 4 M 2012, 2016 2008 2–1–0 3
Guo Jingjing Diving Women's Synchro 3 m Springboard 1996–2008 33 F 2004, 2008 2000 2–1–0 3
Guo Jingjing Diving Women's 3 m Springboard 1996–2008 33 F 2004, 2008 2000 2–1–0 3
Qin Kai Diving Men's Synchro 3 m Springboard 2008–2016 3 M 2008, 2012 2016 2–0–1 3
Wu Minxia Diving Women's 3 m Springboard 2004–2012 3 F 2012 2004 2008 1–1–1 3
Tan Liangde Diving Men's 3 m Springboard 1984–1992 3 M 1984, 1988, 1992 0–3–0 3
Li Xiaopeng Gymnastics Men's parallel bars 2000–2008 3 M 2000, 2008 2004 2–0–1 3
Chen Jing4 Table tennis Women's singles 1988–2000 3 F 1988 1996 2000 1–1–1 3
Gong Lijiao Athletics Women's shot put 2008–2020 4 F 2020 2012 2008 1–1–1 3
Pang Wei Shooting Men's 10 m air pistol 2008–2020 4 M 2008 2016, 2020 1–0–2 3
Wang Hao Table tennis Men's singles 2004–2012 3 M 2004, 2008, 2012 0–3–0 3
Sun Wenyan Artistic swimming Team 2012–2020 3 F 2012, 2016, 2020 0–3–0 3
Sheng Zetian Wrestling Men's Greco-Roman 57/58 kg6 1992–2000 3 M 1992, 1996, 2000 0–0–3 3
2 Wang Yifu competed at six Olympic Games from 1984 to 2004. But 10 m air pistol was introduced to the Olympics after 1988. So he competed five times in the event. He ranked 15th in 1988 and ranked top two at the next four Olympics.
3 Guo Jingjing competed at four Olympic Games from 1996 to 2008. She ranked 5th in the event of 10m platform diving in 1996 at the age of 15. After that, due to rapid increase of height and weight, she switched to more suitable springboard diving. She competed in two 3m springboard events in the next three Olympics and got six medals.
4 Chen Jing competed for China in 1988, and for Chinese Taipei in 1996 and 2000.
5 The category was 77 kg in 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and then changed to 81 kg in 2000.
6 The category was 57 kg in 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and then changed to 58 kg in 2000.

Most appearances[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who competed in at least four Summer Olympics. Still active athletes are marked in bold. Age 15- and 40+ are marked in bold.

Name Sport Gender Born Year Games Year First/Last Age Best Result Gold Silver Bronze Medal Total
6 appearances
Wang Yifu Shooting M 1960 1984–2004 23–43 Gold 1992, 2004 1992, 1996, 2000 1984 2–3–1 6
5 appearances
Ye Chong Fencing M 1969 1988–2004 18–34 Silver 2000, 2004 0–2–0 2
Tan Zongliang Shooting M 1971 1996–2012 24–40 Silver 2008 0–1–0 1
4 appearances
Diving
Xiong Ni Diving M 1974 1988–2000 14–26 Gold 1996, 2000x2 1988 1992 3–1–1 5
Guo Jingjing Diving F 1981 1996–2008 14–26 Gold 2004x2, 2008x2 2000x2 4–2–0 6
Wu Minxia Diving W 1985 2004–2016 18–30 Gold 2004, 2008, 2012x2, 2016 2004 2008 5–1–1 7
Badminton
Lin Dan Badminton M 1983 2004–2016 20–32 Gold 2008, 2012 2–0–0 2
Fu Haifeng Badminton M 1984 2004–2016 20–32 Gold 2012, 2016 2008 2–1–0 3
Athletics
Zhang Wenxiu Athletics F 1986 2004–2016 18–30 Silver 2008,2016 2012 0–2–1 3
Shooting
Du Li Shooting F 1982 2004–2016 22–34 Gold 2004, 2008 2016 2016 2–1–1 4
Zhu Qinan Shooting M 1984 2004–2016 19–31 Gold 2004 2008 1–1–0 2
Chen Ying Shooting F 1977 2004–2016 26–38 Gold 2008 2012 1–1–0 2
Wei Ning Shooting F 1982 2004–2016 22–34 Silver 2004, 2012 0–2–0 2
Hu Binyuan Shooting M 1977 2004–2016 27–39 Bronze 2008 0–0–1 1
Fencing
Luan Jujie6 Fencing F 1958 1984–1988, 2000, 2008 26–50 Gold 1984 1–0–0 1
Xiao Aihua Fencing F 1971 1988–2000 17–29 5
2000
0-0-0 0
Wang Haibin Fencing M 1973 1992–2004 18–30 Silver 2000, 2004 0–2–0 2
Li Na Fencing F 1981 2000–2012 19–31 Gold 2012 2000 1–0–1 2
Basketball
Zheng Haixia Basketball F 1967 1984–1996 17–29 Silver 1992 1984 0–1–1 2
Li Nan Basketball M 1974 1996–2008 22–34 8
1996, 2004, 2008
0-0-0 0
Wang Zhizhi Basketball M 1977 1996–2000, 2008–2012 19–35 8
1996, 2008
0-0-0 0
Chen Nan Basketball F 1983 2004–2016 21–33 4
2008
0-0-0 0
Yi Jianlian Basketball M 1987 2004–2016 17–29 8
2004, 2008
0-0-0 0
6 Luan Jujie competed for China in 1984, winning China's first Olympic fencing gold. She moved to Canada in 1985 and competed for Canada in 1988, 2000, and 2008.

The youngest and oldest gold medalists[edit]

Name Gender Born Date Event Date Sport Event Age
The 5 youngest gold medalists
Fu Mingxia F August 16, 1978 July 27, 1992 Diving Women's 10 m platform 13 years, 346 days
Quan Hongchan F March 28, 2007 August 5, 2021 Diving Women's 10 m platform 14 years, 130 days
Ren Qian F February 20, 2001 August 18, 2016 Diving Women's 10 m platform 15 years, 180 days
Chen Ruolin F December 12, 1992 August 12, 2008 Diving Women's synchronized 10 m platform 15 years, 244 days
Chen Ruolin F December 12, 1992 August 21, 2008 Diving Women's 10 m platform 15 years, 253 days
The 5 oldest gold medalists
Wang Yifu M December 4, 1960 August 14, 2004 Shooting Men's 10 m air pistol 43 years, 254 days
Lü Xiaojun M July 27, 1984 July 31, 2021 Weightlifting Men's 81 kg 37 years, 4 days
Zhang Ning F May 19, 1975 August 16, 2008 Badminton Women's singles 33 years, 89 days
Qiu Jian M June 25, 1975 August 17, 2008 Shooting Men's 50 m rifle 3 positions 33 years, 53 days
Fu Haifeng M August 23, 1983 August 19, 2016 Badminton Men's doubles 32 years, 362 days

Winter Olympics[edit]

Multiple medalists[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least two gold medals or three medals at the Winter Olympics. Still active athletes are marked in bold.

Name Sport Years Played Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
2 or more Gold medals
Wang Meng Short track speed skating 2006–2010 2 F 4 1 1 6
Zhou Yang Short track speed skating 2010–2018 3 F 3 0 0 3
Wu Dajing Short track speed skating 2014–2022 3 M 2 2 1 5
Yang Yang (A) Short track speed skating 1998–2006 3 F 2 2 1 5
3 or more medals
Shen Xue Figure skating 1998–2010 4 F 1 0 2 3
Zhao Hongbo Figure skating 1998–2010 4 M 1 0 2 3
Yang Yang (S) Short track speed skating 1994–2002 3 F 0 4 1 5
Li Jiajun Short track speed skating 1994–2006 4 M 0 2 3 5
Han Tianyu Short track speed skating 2014–2018 2 M 0 2 1 3
Ye Qiaobo Speed skating 1992–1994 2 F 0 2 1 3
Wang Chunlu Short track speed skating 1998–2002 2 F 0 2 1 3

Multiple gold medalists at a single game[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least two gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Order first by golds, then by sports, then by year.

Name Sport Years Gender Gold Silver Bronze Total
3 Gold medals
Wang Meng Short track speed skating 2010 F 3 0 0 3
2 Gold medals
Yang Yang (A) Short track speed skating 2002 F 2 1 0 3
Zhou Yang Short track speed skating 2010 F 2 0 0 2

Multiple medalists in a single event[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who have won at least three medals in a single event at Winter Olympics. Order first by medals, then by sport, then by golds.

Name Sport Event Years Played Gender Gold Silver Bronze Medal Total
3 medals
Shen Xue Figure skating Pair skating 1998–2010 4 F 2010 2002, 2006 1–0–2 3
Zhao Hongbo Figure skating Pair skating 1998–2010 4 M 2010 2002, 2006 1–0–2 3

Most appearances[edit]

This is a list of Chinese athletes who competed in at least four Winter Olympics. Still active athletes are marked in bold.

Name Sport Gender Born Year Games Year First/Last Age Best Result Gold Silver Bronze Medal Total
5 appearances
Zhang Hao Figure skating M 1984 2002–2018 18–34 silver 2006 0–1–0 1
4 appearances
Shen Xue Figure skating F 1978 1998–2010 20–32 Gold 2010 2002, 2006 1–0–2 3
Zhao Hongbo Figure skating M 1973 1998–2010 25–37 Gold 2010 2002, 2006 1–0–2 3
Li Jiajun Short track speed skating M 1975 1994–2006 19–31 Silver 1998, 2002 1998, 2002, 2006 0–2–3 5
Wang Manli Speed skating F 1973 1994–2006 21–33 Silver 2006 0–1–0 1
Pang Qing Figure skating F 1979 2002–2014 22–34 Silver 2010 0–1–0 1
Tong Jian Figure skating M 1979 2002–2014 22–34 Silver 2010 0–1–0 1
Liu Xianying Biathlon F 1977 1998–2010 21–33 7
1998, 2006
0-0-0 0

The youngest and oldest gold medalists[edit]

Name Gender Born Date Event Date Sport Event Age
The 5 youngest gold medalists
Su Yiming M February 18, 2004 February 15, 2022 Snowboarding Men's big air 17 years, 362 days
Gu Ailing Eileen F September 3, 2003 February 8, 2022 Freestyle skiing Women's big air 18 years, 158 days
Gu Ailing Eileen F September 3, 2003 February 18, 2022 Freestyle skiing Women's halfpipe 18 years, 168 days
Zhou Yang F June 9, 1991 February 20, 2010 Short track speed skating Women's 1500 metres 18 years, 256 days
Zhou Yang F June 9, 1991 February 24, 2010 Short track speed skating Women's 3000 metre relay 18 years, 260 days
The 5 oldest gold medalists
Zhao Hongbo M September 22, 1973 February 15, 2010 Figure skating Pair skating 36 years, 146 days
Xu Mengtao F July 12, 1990 February 14, 2022 Freestyle skiing Women's aerials 31 years, 217 days
Qi Guangpu M October 20, 1990 February 16, 2022 Freestyle skiing Men's aerials 31 years, 119 days
Shen Xue F November 13, 1978 February 15, 2010 Figure skating Pair skating 31 years, 94 days
Han Cong F August 6, 1992 February 19, 2022 Figure skating Pair skating 29 years, 196 days

Milestones[edit]

Summer Games[edit]

Winter Games[edit]

Flagbearer[edit]

Summer Games[edit]

Games Opening Gender Sport Closing Gender Sport
1984 Los Angeles Wang Libin M Basketball
1988 Seoul Song Tao M Basketball
1992 Barcelona Song Ligang M Basketball
1996 Atlanta Liu Yudong M Basketball
2000 Sydney
2004 Athens Yao Ming M Basketball Liu Xiang M Athletics
2008 Beijing Zhang Ning F Badminton
2012 London Yi Jianlian M Basketball Xu Lijia F Sailing
2016 Rio de Janeiro Lei Sheng M Fencing Ding Ning F Table tennis
2020 Tokyo Zhao Shuai M Taekwondo Su Bingtian M Athletics
Zhu Ting F Volleyball

Winter Games[edit]

Games Opening Gender Sport Closing Gender Sport
1980 Lake Placid Zhao Weichang M Speed skating
1984 Sarajevo Zhao Shijian M Speed skating
1988 Calgary Zhang Shubin M Figure skating
1992 Albertville Song Chen M Speed skating
1994 Lillehammer Liu Gongfei M Speed skating
1998 Nagano Zhao Hongbo M Figure skating
2002 Salt Lake City Zhang Min M Figure skating
2006 Turin Yang Yang (A) F Short track speed skating Han Xiaopeng M Freestyle skiing
2010 Vancouver Han Xiaopeng M Freestyle skiing Zhao Hongbo M Figure skating
2014 Sochi Tong Jian M Figure skating Liu Qiuhong F Short track speed skating
2018 Pyeongchang Zhou Yang F Short track speed skating Wu Dajing M Short track speed skating
2022 Beijing Gao Tingyu M Speed skating Gao Tingyu M Speed skating
Zhao Dan F Skeleton Xu Mengtao F Freestyle skiing

Hosting Olympic logo and mottos[edit]

2008 Summer Olympics[edit]

The 2008 Summer Olympics marks the milestone for China, where this was the first time it hosting the Olympic Games. The country's capital, Beijing, was chosen as the host city. The motto of the Olympic Games at that time is One World One Dream (同一个世界 同一个梦想)

2014 Summer Youth Olympics[edit]

The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics marks the second time China hosted the Olympics, but it was held in Nanjing. Its motto is Share the Games, Share our Dreams (分享青春, 共筑未来)

2022 Winter Olympics[edit]

The 2022 Winter Olympics marks the third time China hosted the Olympics, and the second time held in Beijing. The motto of this game is Together for a Shared Future (一起向未来) . Its previous motto was Joyful Rendezvous Upon Pure Ice and Snow (纯洁的冰雪 激情的约会)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e 10th–15th Olympic Games: 1936–1952 Chinese Olympic Committee.
  2. ^ a b 23rd Olympic Games: Los Angeles 1984 Chinese Olympic Committee.
  3. ^ "Chinese get preparations training for Rio Games". July 31, 2016. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  4. ^ a b SF&OC History Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China Archived October 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Welle (http://www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Systematic doping of Chinese athletes in Olympic Games revealed by former doctor | DW | October 21, 2017". DW.COM. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "Wada is accused of sitting on mass China doping claims for five years". the Guardian. October 23, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. ^ "China to make doping a criminal offence and warns athletes who test positive could be sent to prison". www.insidethegames.biz. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "WADA to investigate claims of systematic doping in China". Reuters. October 24, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Chavez, Chris. "Former doctor reveals more than 10,000 Chinese athletes were doping". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Countries With The Most Stripped Olympic Medals". WorldAtlas. June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Monique Berlioux, ed. (August–September 1983). "China and Olympism" (PDF). Olympic Review (190–191). International Olympic Committee: 583–592. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 10, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  12. ^ Mulvenney, Nick (August 7, 2008). "Chen Chengda, China's almost Olympian". Reuters. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  13. ^ "1952: Zatopek wins gold at Helsinki". On This Day 20 July. BBC News. July 20, 1952. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  14. ^ Mulvenney, Nick (August 8, 2008). "Li Ning, "Prince of Gymnasts" and businessman". Reuters. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  15. ^ "Chinese speed skater Ye carries Winter Olympics flame in Canada – People's Daily Online". English.people.com.cn. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  16. ^ "China will send 416 athletes to Rio de Janeiro next month". July 19, 2016. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2016.

External links[edit]