Chinese Olympic Exuberance is Annoying

China needs to take a chill pill. Fast. I was under the impression that one of the biggest reasons the Chinese were excited to host the Olympics was to demonstrate to the world how mature and likable they are. This is their unofficial entrance to the world as an upcoming superpower, and it is certainly in their best interest to come across as a likable bunch. I have almost always supported China and have enjoyed living here (that's why I came back after all), but there is something about these Olympic games that are starting to piss me off and actually root against China. The opposite of whats supposed to occur is happening! I don't know if its the fact that 95% of the events CCTV shows involve Chinese teams, the overwhelming nationalism of the Chinese fans, or maybe that the Chinese are just winning too much (since when did they win this often?), but the Chinese are starting to get really annoying, really fast.

The other day I was watching some random men's Field Hockey game between the Netherlands and Canada (since when did men start playing this?), and throughout the game I heard that damn China chant begin sung throughout the stadium. It's nice they love their country so much, but do you really need to chant that when your team isn't playing? It's just annoying. Know what else is annoying? The fact that it seems the only Olympic events that are drawing huge crowds are those featuring Team China. Despite the fact that the Olympic games are supposedly sold out and tickets are no longer available, every other event I've seen shown on TV feature stadium shots with stands emptier than Marlin's games. This sucks for people who don't have tickets and instead need to watch a TV screen filled with empty seats

I guess what's annoying more than anything about these Olympics games are the way the Chinese players are reacting. I'm sure its a huge thrill and adrenaline boost to compete in the Olympics, but the way these guys are acting comes across as really childish. Lets take a look at the France Vs. China fencing match I watched the other day. Literally every point played ended with both players celebrating with screams and fistpumps galore, even when they didn't end up winning the point! Look at that picture to the right and imagine seeing that 20 times an event! Now granted, people who fence tend to be tools, and its no shock that the French guy was annoying, but this is just another example of a reoccurring theme I keep seeing throughout the 2008 Olympic events. Badminton? Same thing. Gymnastics with freakishly young children? Same thing. I saw both the Venezuelan volleyball team and the Polish badminton team play very civil matches that didn't leave me wanting to punch them in the face. That's what the Olympic spirit is supposed to be like.

OK, as we speak Venus Williams is losing a tennis match to some a random Chinese woman and the same thing is happening... sigh. I guess the point of this post/rant is really that the Chinese are not coming across as the likable bunch they intended- instead they are coming across as a bunch of arrogant d-bags who are dominating the Olympic scene. A chill pill is indeed in order.