【明報專訊】Bagging 38 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze medals, China's Olympic delegation came home victoriously amid the cheers of the nationals. Although both the government and the public would agree that the "gold-medal obsession" is an outdated mindset, gold medallists will still be greeted with an endless stream of toasts by fellow countrymen and awards from the business sector. People's passion about the athletes' Olympic achievements may only be a "once-in-four-years" phenomenon. But if the state wants to make it a display of its comprehensive national power, effort must be put into sports science research so as to ensure the sustainability of the country's status as a front runner in the gold medal race.