Why do athletes who win championships in the Olympics receive far more honors than athletes who win silver and bronze medals?

Except for the champion, who remembers the runner-up and third place? Although it sounds cruel, it is the truth!

To talk about this issue, we might as well first understand the origins of "champion", "runner-up" and "third runner-up".

One: Champion!

It is said that in the last years of the Qin Dynasty, after Qin II came to power, he listened to the slanderous words of the eunuch Zhao Gao and spent his days living in debauchery and ignoring government affairs. This caused great chaos in the world, and all the princes rioted to resist the violent Qin. Among them was a man named Song Yi, who was very powerful and won many battles with the Qin Dynasty's army.

Therefore, Song Yi was called the "Champion of Qingzi", and King Huai of Chu named him "General". This was a kind of praise and praise for Song Yi. He was the first person in history to be awarded A person who is called a "champion".

There is also a well-known champion, Huo Qubing during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He was undefeated because of his invincible bravery in the battle against the Xiongnu. He was named "Champion Marquis" by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty!

So, a champion means a very powerful person!

Two: Runner-up!

Similarly very powerful, just a little bit worse than the most powerful people.

For example, Confucius in "The Way of Confucius and Mencius" was revered as the "Holy Saint" by later generations and was a leader in the cultural world. Mencius, who ranked behind him, was called the "Senior Sage". Although he was very powerful, he was slightly inferior to Confucius!

For another example, Xiang Yu called Fan Zeng his "sub-father" because Fan Zeng was just like a father to Xiang Yu, but he was not a real father, but was only as important as his biological father, so he called him As "sub-father"!

There is also what we modern people often call "sub-health". If you say he is healthy, he is always a little uncomfortable; if you say he is sick, he is not sick. It’s always just a little bit worse!

Three: Third place!

Let’s talk about the third runner-up. In ancient times, the youngest son in the family was usually called "Ji". For example, Liu Bang was called "Liu Ji" before he became emperor. Because he has two older brothers, he is also called Liu Laosan. Later, Liu Bang had another younger brother named Liu Jiao, but this is all a story for another day.

So based on the above analysis, the champion naturally attracts the most attention, followed by the runner-up and the third runner-up.

Then why is it said that "Olympic champions receive far more honors than second and third place"?

I have to quote an old joke here. You must know that Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world, but do you know the second highest peak in the world and the third highest peak in the world?

People who may often see this question still don’t know what the second peak is called, let alone the third peak. This is why athletes must always strive for first place in competitive competitions.

Because not only the audience in front of the TV, but also the department leaders attach great importance to the championship. Athletes who win the championship can receive huge bonuses, real estate and supreme honors.

But to be honest, the rewards for the runner-up and third runner-up are far less than those for the champion, and may even be none. At least in news reports, there are few reports about the runner-up and third place.

Let me ask you another question. Bolt is the king of 100 meters and is known as a man who cannot be pulled by gravity. But can you remember that every time you competed with Bolt, you won the runner-up and third place? people? I can’t remember it anyway!

Summary: The championship is a supreme honor, the best reward for hard work and fighting spirit, and the ultimate goal pursued by all athletes!