Behind the gold rush

Behind the increasing number of gold medals Chinese athletes have bagged is the popularity of a wider range of sports with the general public in the past three decades.

The logic is that more people getting involved in a particular sport will certainly provide more candidates for coaches to select the most hopefuls from. More athletes then are likely to get medals. Thus begins a virtuous circle - the glory of medalists will arouse interest of more people in a wider range of sports.

Why is table tennis China's forte in the world of sport for so many years? The number of Chinese playing this game equals the population of at least a medium-sized country.