ABSTRACT
There is, perhaps, no other term related to sport with greater popularity in China than ‘Olympic’; no other cultural term is better known. The Olympic Games are watched by a vast television audience; Olympic champions are treated as national heroes, entertained with luxurious banquets, hosted by the State Council and attended by state leaders. IOC members, especially its president, are welcomed like royalty and the Olympic Games are extensively covered on television, in newspapers and magazines. Olympic Day (23 June) is celebrated by a large group of runners wearing T-shirts with the Olympic rings on them, and a mass bicycle rally, organized under the name of the IOC president, attracts a million cyclists annually. The Olympic Games are a frequent topic of conversation, and it is no exaggeration to say that the word ‘Olympic’ has penetrated every corner of society. It seems strange that an oriental country with a long Confucian heritage should demonstrate such an enthusiastic affection for a sport phenomenon originating in the West which has much closer historical links with the Olympic movement.
