Once comrades, China’s athletes are now celebrities
Posted: Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:59 AM
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Beijing, China
By Titi Yu, NBC News
When Guo Jingjing and her diving partner Wu Minxia stepped on to the 3-meter diving board last Sunday, a jubilant audience watched with hushed anticipation. A breathless moment… then the two partners dove into the air with a perfect back dive to the thundering applause of their adoring fans.
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| AFP - Getty Images |
| Guo Jingjing of China dives during practice at the National Aquatics Center on Aug. 5. |
The score? Three perfect 10s and it was only the second dive of the competition. The pair went on to win the first gold in diving for China with an effortless 20 points lead.
But it wasn’t her graceful somersault or dazzling spins that had the public talking the next day. It was the tiny Tiffany necklace around her neck that had the Chinese blogs abuzz.
On Sina.com’s Olympic Blog, Chinese Netizens were busy dissecting the significance of wearing the necklace, apparently a gift from Hong Kong playboy and tycoon Kenneth Fok, who has been linked romantically with Guo.
"Does this mean she’ll be married after the gold?" wrote one enthusiastic Netizen. Another blog, in true PerezHilton fashion, posted a blow up picture of the necklace hours after the competition with speculation on the price tag.
The persistent interest in Guo’s personal life reflects the changing attitude the Chinese public has toward athletes.
Once seen as property of the country’s public collective, now athletes who rake in the gold are encouraged to pursue all the perks that come with stardom – money, fame, and corporate sponsorships. And with it, a new image for the Chinese athlete.
"Before the 1980’s people saw athletes as their own family," said China Daily Columnist Raymond Zhou, referring to China’s economic rise in the early ‘80s. "Now people see them as individuals."
In China’s past, athletes worked for the glory of the Communist Party. In the new market economy of the $40 billion dollar Olympics, heroes are those who can bring in the cash. "People used to see athletes as folk heroes. Now they are professionally managed celebrities," added Zhou.
Celebrity status, at a price
No one typifies this newly minted celebrity status more so than Guo. Her face has taken over cosmetic counters, billboards and the cover of magazines. Guo Jingjing, is the highest earning female athlete in China. According to Chinese news reports, she earns close to $2.2 million a year. An astonishing amount for a Chinese athlete. With endorsements from McDonald, Coca Cola, Budweiser, and countless cosmetics, snack food companies, Guo trails behind only Yao Ming and Liu Xiang in earnings.
But this celebrity status came with a price for Guo. That she is a brilliant diver and the most recognized female athlete on Team China is unquestionable. But the more medals she won, the more corporate sponsors wanted her face, the more obsessed the public became with her private life.
Rumors of her romantic entanglements began to circulate when she shot to stardom at the Athens Olympics four years ago by winning two gold medals. Her close relationship with teammate Tian Liang, another gold medalist in Athens, set the gossip websites speculating about a secret romance between the two. Although they denied the reports, the pair nevertheless fueled the rumor by appearing at media events together.
She’s also been the center of many public antics, like when she referred to an opponent as that "Canadian Fatty" at a press conference and was kicked off the national team for "excessive commercial activities." Coupled with her high profile commercial appearances and tabloids speculating "are they or aren’t they?" about her romances – her life reads like the storyline of any Hollywood celebrity.
And as her fame continued to rise by winning four consecutive World Championship titles in a single event, making her the only athlete to accomplish such a feat in the history of diving, the public became even more entranced with her growing relationship with the Hong Kong tycoon Kenneth Fok. The two are dogged by paparazzi wherever they go.
This past May, trouble hit again as the Chinese gossip grapevine dropped a bombshell that Guo was pregnant and would not be competing in the Olympics. The rumor spread quickly until the government’s official news channel CCTV stepped in with a report denying it.
Cinching her first gold for China this week definitely helped redeem her in the public eye. She also has the opportunity to win what would be her fourth gold medal this Sunday and solidify her place in China’s Olympic record books.
But what happens to her image among the Chinese public if she wins again or loses?
Guess we’ll have to check the blogs on Monday.
