"Kim Yeji Included but No China or Japan"...Olympic Poster Racism Controversy

Only 3 Asians in Commemorative Poster
Where Are the Chinese and Japanese Players Who Finished 2nd and 3rd?

2024 Paris Olympic Commemorative Poster. Photo by Eurosports X (X, formerly Twitter)

As the 2024 Paris Olympics concluded, controversy arose over allegations of racial discrimination.

On the 12th, the European sports broadcaster 'Eurosport' created and unveiled a poster commemorating the Paris Olympics. The poster featured Paris landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic rings, along with images of several medal-winning athletes.

However, the poster came under fire for allegedly intentionally discriminating against Asians. Although medalists from various sports were each represented, it was difficult to find any Asian athletes. Only three were included: South Korea's Kim Ye-ji in shooting, Turkey's Yusuf Dikets, and Pakistan's Arshad Nadim in javelin throw.

This prompted questions from netizens in Asian countries. In particular, China and Japan achieved top-tier results, ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively in this Olympics, with a combined total of 136 medals. Yet, not a single athlete from these two countries was featured on the poster, angering their citizens.

Shooting athlete Kim Yeji [Photo by Yonhap News]

Some suggested that the athletes were evaluated merely based on their popularity rather than their achievements. In fact, the three Asian athletes included on the poster were also notable beyond their competition results. Especially, silver medalist Kim Ye-ji in shooting gained popularity on X (formerly Twitter) for her overwhelming charisma, with comments likening her to an action movie star.

Furthermore, while Asian athletes were scarcely represented, unrelated celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Snoop Dogg were included, fueling the controversy. It appears these two were added to promote the 2028 LA Olympics.

Netizens responded with comments like, "If Tom Cruise is there, why aren't Chinese and Japanese athletes?", "France has no right to host," and "The Paris Olympics is the worst Olympics ever."