"She Gives the Impression of Being a Man"… Controversy Over Chinese Journalist's Interview with Shot Put Gold Medalist

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Controversy is growing over a local interview with a Chinese athlete who won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, criticized as anachronistic.

On the 6th, the British BBC reported that China's state-run CCTV faced public criticism for asking Gong Lijiao, the gold medalist in the women's shot put event, questions such as "When will you get married?" and "Will you have children?" According to the report, Chinese netizens condemned the interview content as discriminatory and narrow-minded, questioning, "Is marriage the only topic to discuss in interviews with women?"

The interview video between CCTV and Gong Lijiao was posted on Weibo and has been viewed over 300 million times. The video showed CCTV using expressions like "masculine woman" toward the athlete. It also included Gong Lijiao responding to a reporter's comment, "You give the impression of being a manly woman," by saying, "Although I may appear that way on the outside, inside I am still closer to a woman."

Furthermore, when another reporter asked, "So far, in the shot put event, you have been a manly woman. Do you think you can become a woman in the future?" Gong Lijiao appeared flustered and replied, "If I stop training, I will lose weight, get married, and have children. It is a path that a woman must take."

When asked questions such as "Do you have a boyfriend? What kind of man are you looking for?" and "Will you arm wrestle with your boyfriend?" Gong Lijiao smiled and responded, "I will not arm wrestle. I am a gentle person."

As the interview content sparked controversy, Chinese netizens reportedly left hundreds of messages on Gong Lijiao's Weibo account to support her. One netizen argued, "It's not that he cannot get married. It's just that there is no suitable man for him. Instead of focusing on marriage or appearance, the topic should be his dreams or achievements," gaining over 10,000 likes. Gong Lijiao also expressed gratitude, saying, "This precisely expresses my thoughts."

Meanwhile, after returning to China, Gong Lijiao posted several photos of the gold medal-winning competition on her Weibo on the 3rd. She added, "Finally, I have returned to my homeland. I am grateful for the unprecedented encouragement and support from my strong fans," and "Please continue to stay with me. The motherland needs me, and I need you."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.