MBC "Not the Medal Color We Wanted" Remark Controversy, "It Was to Encourage the Athlete"

Anchangrim is holding up the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Judo Men's 73kg award ceremony held at the Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo on the 26th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] MBC clarified remarks made by the caster at the moment judo national team member An Changrim won the bronze medal.

On the 26th, the men's judo 73kg bronze medal match was held at Tokyo Budokan during the Tokyo Olympics. An Changrim, who participated in this match, succeeded in an uchi-mata throw at 3 minutes and 53 seconds, defeating Azerbaijan's Rustam Orujov and winning the bronze medal.

At the time, the caster expressed regret, saying, "It is not the medal color we wanted." He added, "I think we can be satisfied as a reward for the sweat and tears our athletes have shed over the past five years."

Commentator Jo Junho tried to smooth things over by saying, "Even the bronze medal is a precious achievement," but netizens criticized the remarks as undermining the Olympic spirit.

Regarding this, MBC told MK Sports on the 27th, "The athlete is striving for the gold medal, and the public was watching and cheering for that, so the caster expressed regret about that."

They also explained, "Right after that remark, commentator Jo also said the bronze medal is valuable, and the caster said it was the fruit of the athlete's hard work. The overall context was to encourage the athlete who achieved a precious result through sweat and tears."

Meanwhile, MBC faced controversy for using inappropriate images and subtitles during the introduction of participating countries in the opening ceremony broadcast on the 23rd. Additionally, on the 25th, during the broadcast of the men's soccer Group B second match between Korea and Romania, they received criticism for displaying the subtitle "Thank you, Marin, own goal."

In response, MBC President Park Sungje held a public apology press conference on the 26th, stating, "We will strengthen broadcasting codes, company regulations, and internal review rules, establish an ethics committee and a content appropriateness review system, and make every effort to prevent recurrence of such incidents."