Explainer | Tokyo Olympics: China and USA set to clash in several flashpoint events
- Perpetually at loggerheads on the world stage, the two leading superpowers will face off in the foremost sporting arena over the next two weeks
- Olympic powerhouse USA sure to dominate the medal table again, but China demands a better showing than five years ago in Rio
There are sure to be plenty of epic tussles with Olympic gold on the line in the next two weeks in Tokyo. Few will be more riveting than those that will play out between the USA and China.
Persistently at odds on the political stage, the acrimony is sure to spread to the sporting arena.
China is aiming to return to second on the medal table in Tokyo after finishing third in Rio five years ago, while they also want to arrest the slide of their gold medal tally since they held the Olympics in Beijing in 2008.
Xinhua reported that China expects to take gold in table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, weightlifting, shooting and diving. These sports have contributed almost three-quarters of China’s gold medals since the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
The US is once again looking to assert its dominance over world sport on the biggest stage of all. Securing a big triumph over China, in the overall medal count, is a must.
