I like the idea of an emerging China during these 2008 Olympics (opening ceremony schedule here), but I dislike most forms of nationalism so I’m a little torn about whether or not to root for Chinese athletes to win stacks of gold medals. In either event, one of the big storylines of these Olympics will likely be China winning more medals than the United States. Matthew Forney, who lives and works in China and is a former Beijing bureau chief for Time, wrote a very good editorial on this, which gives some of the backstory on the lengths China and its government have gone to in order to make that “event” happen.

Here’s the money quote:

That China is gaming the Olympic system to win maximum gold is not some conspiracy theory. After the Sydney Games in 2000, the government launched its so-called Operation 119. The figure refers to the number of gold medals available in individual sports with oddly high medal counts — canoeing/kayaking, for instance, has 16 golds up for grabs — in which China has traditionally performed poorly. Of China’s 32 gold medals in Athens in 2004, only four came in those 119 events. The surge in money for those events could push China to the top — at Athens, its gold medal haul was only four shy of America’s.