China's Cheeky Tactic To Make It Look Like They Won The Most Medals In Tokyo

Chinese state media have found a sneaky loophole which makes it look like they've edged out America in the medal race at the Tokyo Olympics.

In a bid to increase their medals total, China Central Television included the golds, silvers and bronzes won by both Taiwan and Hong Kong in their official tally.

With the added medals of two other nations under their belt, China now boasts 42 golds according to the new figures, which puts them three ahead of arch rivals the United States who have 39.

Weibo

But it seems China Central Television weren't the only ones to deploy the cheeky tactic.

Other Chinese social media users and netizens also lumped Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as Macau into China's medal haul to create an augmented version of the medal table which boosts the nation up to the top.

In one post on the popular social media platform Weibo, a user says: "Congratulations to the Chinese delegation for ranking first in gold medals and the total number of points."

While some people praised the altered chart, others condoned it and asked for the publisher to remove it.

Despite backlash being aimed in China's direction, the United States media aren't exactly squeaky clean when it comes to tampering with medal tallies either.

Earlier in the competition, when China was leading, the likes of The Washington Post and NBC were roasted by fans online for publishing Olympic medal tables which categorise 'medals won' above 'golds won'.

The official IOC tally is ordered by the number of golds each country clinches but these ones from the American press were changed to display the United States in top spot with China in second.

Topics: olympics, Tokyo Olympics, united states, Australia, China

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry