"People's Blood Spilled"... China Changes After Hungarian Brothers with 'Chinese Father' Win Medals

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Hungarian short track representative Liu Shaolin Sandor is doing his signature pose, the 'wink.'
Photo by SBS

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] China has focused on the Hungarian short track national team male athletes, brothers Liu Xiaolin Sandor (28) and Liu Xiaoang (25), emphasizing their ties to China.

On the 13th, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics short track 500m final, Liu Xiaoang, a Hungarian national, won the gold medal. Chinese media simultaneously reported his medal news and published numerous articles highlighting the deep connection between the Liu brothers?born to a Chinese father and a Hungarian mother?and China.

On the 15th, Chinese media such as China.com re-reported an interview with the brothers conducted before the Olympics, stating, "Although they hold Hungarian nationality, the Liu brothers, who have a father from northeastern China, won gold medals and shed tears with their Chinese coach."

Local media also mentioned that the Hungarian national team has a Chinese coach and that they conducted several joint training sessions in China before the Olympics. The Hungarian short track team is led by former Korean coach Jeon Jae-soo.

These media outlets added, "On the field, China and Hungary were competitors, but half of the Liu brothers' blood is Chinese, and they maintain very close relationships with Chinese athletes."

On the 7th, during the men's 1000m short track final at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Hungary's Liu Shaolin S?ndor (left) and China's Ren Ziwei were pushing each other with their hands as they approached the finish line. Ultimately, Liu Shaolin was disqualified, and China's Ren Ziwei took first place.
/Photo by Yonhap News

However, this atmosphere contrasts with the situation during the men's short track 1000m final on the 7th. Liu Xiaolin, who crossed the finish line first, was penalized by the judges, and ultimately, Chinese athlete Ren Ziwei, who finished second, won the gold medal.

Afterward, Liu Xiaolin posted on his SNS, "I almost became the champion today. Since I first started skating in 2005, I have trained through mental and physical hardships. I am truly sorry for not delivering the results you wanted. Today was a tough day for me."

Regarding his statement, the Chinese SNS 'Weibo' saw the hashtag 'Liu Xiaolin foul' (?少林犯?) trending in real-time. Chinese netizens pointed out that he was disqualified twice in one race and received a yellow card, criticizing his race management.

In particular, some Chinese netizens criticized the Liu brothers for maintaining Hungarian nationality, contrasting them with ski queen Gu Ailing, born to an American father and Chinese mother, who competed under Chinese nationality at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, at this Olympics, the elder brother Liu Xiaolin won gold in the men's short track 500m, bronze in the 1000m, and bronze in the mixed 2000m relay. Liu Xiaoang also won bronze in the mixed relay alongside his brother.

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