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Tokyo Olympics: CCTV under fire after reporter calls Chinese gold medal winner a ‘manly girl’ and asks her when she’ll ‘return to being a woman’
- The reporter also asked Gong Lijiao what would happen if she arm-wrestled a potential romantic partner
- Gong ended the interview by saying she is a ‘gentle person’.
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Phoebe Zhangin Shenzhen
CCTV came under fire in China this week after a reporter asked the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold-medal-winning shot-putter Gong Lijiao when she will “return to being a woman” amid a series of questions about her femininity.
The reporter, Lu You, also said on camera she thought Gong was a “manly girl” and compared her to a tomboy. She proceeded to ask Gong, “What plans do you have next as a girl?” She also asked whether Gong planned to find a boyfriend.
When Lu asked Gong what would happen “if you arm wrestled” a potential partner, Gong said she is a gentle person and cut off the rest of the interview.
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People in China were quick to rally behind Gong and said the interview was “small-minded”.
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“She is an Olympic champion, and that is not enough to keep you from bringing up being skinny, getting married and having children?” someone said on Douban, a social media platform. “It’s 2021; being healthy and confident makes you beautiful.”
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