Prejudice against Medalists and Non-Medalists

The Olympics is a global wise competition which summons the best out of the best athletes around the world. As athletes are competing for glory and pride on the court, those so-called “keyboard warriors” find a way to join this, somehow, by attacking the athletes.

Back in the Tokyo Olympics, after China’s mixed doubles surprising loss to the Japanese team, the female table tennis player, Liu Shiwen, shed tears on the stage. They felt that they “failed the mission” when the whole Chinese population was counting on them for not winning a gold medal, we forget that they are apologizing for winning second place at the world's grandest competition. In addition, extreme netizens accused the players of being “unpatriotic”. What they failed to understand is the fact that being able to compete at the Olympics is unattainable to most people. It is an honor to a nation when their athletes have the courage and skills to shoot their shots at the gold. In China, it seems like if you are an athlete competing in the tournament, you are expected to bring home a gold medal.

Not just to the athletes from their own country, the medal winning athletes are also at blame for winning, which I find very hard to understand. Simply because they are from a different country, a Japanese player is accused of winning solely on the judge's bias, and Taiwanese players are called out for simply “dedicating his gold medal” to Taiwan.

More importantly, Yang Qian, a Chinese sharp shooter who won the first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics, did not escape from the internet’s outrageous wrath. In the past, Yang Qian posted a picture of her Nike shoes, the most common picture one can post. Nonetheless, the tension between Nike and China has fueled the netizens’ association that she is supporting a Foreign company over her country.

Those allegations truly demonstrate how pathetic some people are: concluding false assumptions which are irrelevant to an athlete’s success. In the future, I hope all athletes can be respected and praised for their dedication and passion to their sport.