Rio 2016: China Rethinks Gold Medal Pursuit at Olympics – Wall Street Journal

BEIJING—The 2016 Olympic Games haven’t been kind to China, and as the country’s medal tally falters, introspection is falling upon officials and media used to touting sports prowess as a symbol of national strength.

This year’s medal haul will leave Beijing with its smallest hoard of Olympic gold in two decades. For China, these Summer Games have piled defeat upon defeat in sports it once ruled, like gymnastics and badminton, and…