Olympic Triple Gold Medalist Jang Ji-keo, Expelled from Advertising Amid Scandal
Chinese table tennis hero Zhang Jike (35), who won three gold medals at the Olympics, has been ousted from the advertising industry amid scandal allegations, Chinese media outlet Pengpai reported on the 3rd.
According to the report, Anta, a Chinese sportswear brand that used Zhang Jike as an advertising model, has deleted posts related to Zhang Jike from its social media (SNS) and online shopping mall.
The health supplement brand 'Nuoterlander' also announced that it would terminate all cooperation with Zhang Jike, and Ichido Toyota, a joint venture of the Japanese automaker Toyota in China, deleted posts and promotional materials related to Zhang Jike from its Weibo (Chinese version of Twitter) account.
Bedding company Mutsu also removed promotional materials related to Zhang Jike.
"Drowning in gambling debts... Provided private videos of a celebrity he dated to repay debts" controversy
Zhang Jike, once a 'blue chip' in the Chinese advertising industry due to his handsome appearance, reportedly fell from grace because of gambling.
Rumors have spread online that he provided private videos and photos of a celebrity he dated to a third party in order to repay the mountain of debts accumulated from gambling.
Zhang Jike's side denied having any debt issues and stated that they never violated anyone's privacy, calling the rumors completely fabricated.
However, the suspicion remains as Chinese investigative journalist Li Weiao posted on social media on the 31st of last month, claiming that the rumors about Zhang Jike are true.
Zhang Jike, who won the men's singles and team events at the 2012 London Olympics and the team event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, enjoyed great popularity and fame, ranking second in the wealth ranking of Chinese athletes in 2016, just behind swimming star Sun Yang. Zhang Jike's Weibo followers number 12.5 million.
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