“Where are our players?” Controversy over ‘Korean passing’ at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics came to an end, suspicions of Korean ‘passing’ are spreading as the Korean athletes were not shown on the screen of the closing ceremony.

The closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games was held at 8 pm on the 8th at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.

The Korean delegation, which took part in the closing ceremony on that day, consisted of a total of 34 players, including 4 players and 30 officials. Jeon Woong-tae, the first Korean national to win a medal in the history of the modern pentathlon, took the lead at the closing ceremony.

The problem is that Jeon Woong-tae’s appearance was not captured on the broadcast screen that day. The camera, which used to film the scene of the riders entering each country, was switched to a full shot that illuminates the entire stadium the moment Korea entered.

Even when the players who attended the closing ceremony danced and enjoyed, the Korean players could not be seen on the screen.

The hosts who were broadcasting the closing ceremony also said, “I want to see Korean players, but I can’t get them (on the screen).” Even among netizens, there was a reaction that it was hard to tell if Korea participated in the closing ceremony.

The closing ceremony was attended by the Tokyo Scar Paradise Orchestra, Creepy Nuts DJ Matsunaga, and singer Mirei.

There were also performances to recreate the daily lives of Tokyoites and to commemorate athletes who participated in the Olympics.

A video promoting the 2024 Paris Olympics also appeared. In the video, a giant five-wheeled flag was hung on the Eiffel Tower, and fighter jets flew around the Eiffel Tower to perform an air show.

The Olympic Games ended with the closing declaration of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and the performance of ‘Toward the Next Generation’ by the Suginami Junior Choir.

The Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled to be held last year, but was postponed by a year due to the spread of COVID-19. It started on the 23rd of last month and has been held for 17 days, and Korea ranked 16th in the overall ranking.

South Korea won 6 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

The next event is the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will start in February 2022. The Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France in 2024, three years later.

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