An overview shows China's #10 Zhang Ru (L) and Puerto Rico's #22 Arella Guirantes eye a rebound in the women's preliminary round group A basketball match between China and Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France, on August 3, 2024. Photo: VCG

As the Paris Olympics drew to a close, the Chinese sports delegation held a press conference on Sunday reflecting on the Chinese team's success - securing 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals - while acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

Zhou Jinqiang, deputy head of the delegation, emphasized the understanding of the shortcomings exposed during the Paris Games.  

Zhou highlighted under-performance in the "big three" ball sports - football, basketball, and volleyball - in which the results fell short of public expectations. Additionally, traditional strongholds saw a decline due to inadequate training management and innovation. Finally, a talent gap in some events revealed a lack of reserve athletes, prompting a call for deeper analysis and improvement.

At the Paris Olympics, only the Chinese women's volleyball and basketball teams made appearances in the "big three" ball sports, with the women's basketball team exiting in the group phase and the women's volleyball team reaching the quarterfinals.

In a commentary by the Global Times analyzing the state of the Chinese women's basketball team, it was stated that the regression is due to factors such as age and injuries, as well as a decline in individual player abilities. The aging roster of the women's volleyball team also raises concerns as they prepare for Los Angeles, and the team needs to continue to discover and cultivate more new talent to challenge for higher achievements, according to CCTV news. 

Despite these setbacks, Zhou emphasized that the success in Paris should motivate Chinese athletes, while recognizing the tougher challenges ahead.

Sports commentator Wang Dazhao told the Global Times that changes are needed to deal with the challenges, and it may be a long process. 

"We need to develop daily healthy and enjoyable sports activities that young people will be interested in, which will allow us to discover talent," Wang said.  

He also pointed out that the international trend of prioritizing athletes' comprehensive development should be followed to ensure long-term success. Sports commentator Deng Bowen also expressed the need for more international communication, telling the Global Times that it is also important to strengthen infrastructure and investment in training. 

Zhou noted that the Paris Olympics showcased the evolving landscape of international sports, with 19 world records and 65 Olympic records broken. This shows the high level required for success.

Looking ahead, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will feature several new events, including baseball, softball, lacrosse, cricket, squash and flag football, China News Service reported. Deng said that this change reflects the traditional strengths and interests of Western countries, particularly the US as these sports have a broad base and well-established competitive systems in Western countries.  

"For the Chinese delegation, most of these newly added sports have relatively limited development domestically, with weaker professional standards and competitive foundations. Despite some progress, the overall level still lags behind that of Western countries," Deng said.

Baseball and softball were part of the Olympics from 1992 to 2008 and cricket and lacrosse have previously featured. Squash and flag football, however, have never been included in the Olympics before.

"Typically, this measure aims to leave some 'room' for the host country, giving some advantages in the project setup," Wang said.

But Deng also expressed hopes and expectations for China's performance in these sports at the LA Olympics.

"The Chinese delegation may face challenges in these sports, but with systematic investment and development, there is potential for progress in the future," Deng said.

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