I am not much of a sports fan or a sports person, but I love watching the Olympics Games. I especially enjoy the thrilling moments when Chinese athletes win gold medals. I feel so proud to see our national flag being hoisted in Athens over and over again.

And I am not alone. As a matter of fact, the ongoing Olympics Games are catching the attention of most Chinese people. Everywhere people are talking about the number of medals China has won, in workplaces, in restaurants, and on buses.

Yes, all of us prefer winning over losing at the Olympics. Perhaps, for most of us, the Olympics is far more than a world sports event. We tend to link it to the demonstration of a country's comprehensive strength in the international arena. A recent survey shows that 80 per cent of Shanghainese believe that the number of Olympic medals has a strong connection with a country's economic power.

In spite of all these justified reasons, I cannot help but wonder: are we paying too much attention to winning?

Look at the media. What's happening in Athens has dominated newspapers and television screens. Different types of TV programmes and columns are making great efforts to provide the most detailed information about champions, their coaches and families. What is more, some TV shows are constantly praising or even glorifying those golden metal-winners in every aspect as if they were the most perfect people in the world.

In comparison, when a potential winner loses, what they receive is cold shoulders, suspicions and criticisms. For instance, when defending champion Tao Luna was eliminated from the women's 10m air pistol final at the Athens Olympic Games, some came to a quick conclusion that her failure resulted from her having a boyfriend.

Obviously, we tend to cultivate a culture where winning is everything and losing is shameful.

At any rate, I'm not saying that we don't need to celebrate our victories or congratulate winners. Neither am I supporting the idea that winning is unimportant. Clearly, if you are going to play a game, there is little point in not trying to win it. However, the problem is that winning has become too important for us. Whether we admit or not, in this country, there is always high pressure on athletes to win. To some extent, winning is the only acceptable outcome.

Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that winning is not everything in the Olympics. As we all know, sometimes there is a very fine line between winning and losing in sports. Very often, I am deeply moved by the perseverance of athletes who are near the top of the game. For me, the courage, the dedication, the commitment, and the spirit of teamwork demonstrated by athletes at the Olympics are more important than winning.

Bear in mind, the original vision of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, was not about winning. Rather, it was to build a peaceful and better world through sports. And the motto of the Olympics is not about winning, it is about being "swifter, higher, stronger".

Perhaps we can learn something from the Greeks. Instead of staying at home in Athens, watching the furious competition, some went abroad to spend a holiday.

Indeed, Olympian victory is not everything but making the effort to win is. Really, we need to embrace all those athletes who have tried their best in the Olympic Games and tell them: "Well done!"

starcomment@yahoo.com