In one of the most high-profile demonstrations of the power of Communist central planning since the rise of the Soviet Union, China has surpassed the US at the Olympics by a gold medal score of 51 to 36.

The record haul for a nation that won its first Olympic gold only in 1984 marks a stunning victory for a state-controlled sports system that rears elite professional athletes by sifting China’s vast population for talented children and training them in special sports schools and government teams.