Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Backlash over ‘manly woman’ question to Chinese athlete in bizarre interview

Gong Lijiao won the gold in the women’s shot put (Picture: DPPI/Yuya Nagase/LiveMedia/REX/Shutterstock)

Coverage of Tokyo 2020 hasn’t been without controversy, and the latest backlash has seen a Chinese state media interview with an Olympic gold medallist spark backlash online.

Gong Lijiao won the women’s shot put final on Sunday, but an interview with broadcaster CCTV has been criticised for being sexist.

The interview saw the athlete described as a ‘manly woman’ and Gong was asked if she ‘had plans for a woman’s life’ after the Olympics, BBC News reports.

The clip begins with a female journalist looking at footage of Gong’s success, saying it ‘gave me the impression that she is a manly woman, until one breakthrough moment’.

Gong then says: ‘I may look like a manly woman on the outside, but inside I’m still more of a girl.’

The CCTV reporter then said: ‘Do you have any plans for a woman’s life?’

The surprised Olympian replied: ‘Woman’s life?’

The interview was called out by social media users (Picture: INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Since you used to be a manly woman for shot put, do you feel you can be yourself from now on?’ another female reporter said.

Gong said: ‘Maybe I’ll look at my plans. If I don’t train then perhaps I will lose weight, get married and have children. Yes, it’s the path one must take in life.’

The interview then saw the 32-year-old asked whether she had a boyfriend, before questioning the kind of man she would go for. 

When asked if she would arm-wrestle a boyfriend, Gong said: ‘I don’t arm-wrestle. I’m very gentle.’

Social media users called out the interview online, highlighting the ‘everyday sexism in sport’ faced by Gong.

Thousands more criticised the questions posed to Gong on the online platform Weibo, racking up 300 million views.

Gong even replied to one post, which read: ‘It’s not that she can’t get married, it’s that no man is her match… when we talk about women, it’s not just about marriage or looks, but also dreams and achievements.’

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She replied saying: ‘This totally expresses what I feel! Thank you!’

It comes after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics sparked a rise in shocking anti-LGBTQ+ slurs on Russian TV, as gay, lesbian and transgender athletes were called an ‘abomination’ on air.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to the International Olympics Committee for comment.

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