The Paris Olympics have finally concluded and for the first time in history, two countries have tied at the gold medal tally.
China and the United States both went home with 40 gold medals each though Team USA with a total of 126 medals far outpaced China’s 91.
However, it seems some Chinese netizens were miffed at the official tally released by the Olympics.
According to them, Paris 2024 should have included the gold medals of Hong Kong and Taiwan into China’s gold medal tally.
Taking matters into their own hands and with a little Photoshop magic, one netizen posted an edited picture showing that China has won a total of 44 gold medals after including two each from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The netizen even added the bronze medals won by Hong Kong and Taiwan to the medal tally and proclaimed that China brought home 102 medals.
Umm… is that how it’s supposed to work?
But it seems many in China prefer this interpretation, even criticising Chinese media outlets for using the term “tied for first place” during a tribute to their Olympians.
They even argued that China is the “big winner of the Olympics” and that the US shouldn’t feel superior about their performance at Paris 2024.
Some even went as far as to decry the US as a hypocrite with the way they perceive themselves in the medal tally.
While most countries sort nations based on their number of gold medals, the US rank according to the total of medals won.
Hong Kong is under the “one country two systems” principle and is considered a special administrative region of China with its own governing and economic systems.
China counts Taiwan as part of its territory though Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949.
China last topped the medal table with 48 golds in 2008 when Beijing hosted the Games.