The Silver Lining in China's Gold Drought

After Monday's closing ceremonies, critics will have plenty of time to dissect all that went wrong with this year's Games in Rio -- from pool water that turned mysteriously and dangerously green, to empty stands, even for premier events. A different but no less agonizing debate is likely to take place in China. Just a few weeks ago, international and local analysts were predicting that the country would repeat its recent success as a dominant No. 2 in the medal tallies. Yet entering the final weekend, Chinese athletes are far behind their pace for gold in the last two Olympics -- and in real danger of coming in third in the standings behind Great Britain.

For a country that's long viewed success on the Olympic medal platform as a proxy for its international standing, the prospect is causing consternation. Earlier this week, Xinhua, China's official news agency, tweeted the medal table and a horrified question: "Are you kidding me?" In truth, though, China's Olympic slump may be something for the country to celebrate.