Global Impact | Olympic Games are off and running, but rivals claim China success ‘not humanly possible’

In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look back at a busy first week in Paris as the Olympic Games brought gold medals and plenty of controversy

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Hong Kong’s Cheung Ka Long celebrates after winning against Italy’s Filippo Macchi in the men’s foil individual gold medal bout. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:00pm, 5 Aug 2024

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History, controversy and gold medals have seemingly gone hand in hand for China at the Paris Olympics, and we’re just a week in – was it really only last Saturday that the world was shaking its collective head at the French take on an opening ceremony?

Still, that’s water under one of the River Seine’s many bridges, and as usual the Games have thrilled and shocked in equal measure in the days in between.

In terms of history, Zheng Qinwen has already made some by becoming the first Chinese tennis player to win an Olympics singles final.

As has become custom, China won the first gold of the Games, with Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani taking the women’s synchronised 3-metre springboard within hours of the Olympics officially opening.

China are expected to sweep the diving events, and once Lian Junjie and Yang Hao grabbed the men’s synchronised 10m title, the one gold that eluded the team in Tokyo, that possibility only grew.

04:54

“I just made history”: China’s Zheng hopes to enjoy tennis more after Olympic gold win