In China, people have long regarded the achievement of Olympic gold medal as a national honor. This Summer, it appears they may beat the U.S. to top the Olympics’ gold count. From BBC News:
China is being tipped to end the reign of the United States as the leading Olympic nation at the Beijing Games. Research undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University predicts the hosts will win 46 gold medals in the Chinese capital.
“China has set its stall out to become the number one nation in sport and to top the table in its host event,” Professor Simon Shibli told BBC Sport. “We are forecasting China will win 46 gold medals, which probably exceeds most other people’s forecasts.” be China is the most populous country in the world, with approximately 1.33 billion people, compared with the 305.8 million of the US.
