ABSTRACT
These extraordinary performances have thrust Chinese sportswomen into the global limelight and sparked considerable interest around the world. Many associated with sport in a variety of roles have pondered on the reasons for the sudden rise to prominence of Chinese women. An increasing number of research papers, articles and books have been published on the subject. An outstanding example is Fan Hong’s Footbinding, Feminism and Freedom: The Liberation of Women’s Bodies in Modern China, which provides a valuable historical background to women’s physical emancipation, a prerequisite of their later performance in modern sport in China. Her account of the evolution of Chinese women’s sport not only fills in the gaps
1988 1992 1996 2000 Olympic Games P G P G P G P G
men 161 2 118 4 110 7 93 11.5 women 137 3 132 12 200 9 188 16.5 percentage 46% 60% 52.8% 75% 64.5% 56% 66.9% 58.9% Note: P=participants; G=gold medals; percentage=proportion of women in the total Sources: https://www.Olympics.com/eng/countries/chin/medal.htmandhttps://202.84.17.73/aoyun.ayhg/25/gaikuang_25.htm.
