Author: He Sally
Associated Press
Silver medalist Gu Ailing of China celebrates during the venue award ceremony for the women’s slope final at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou, China, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
BEIJING (AP) — A double whammy for Asian-American women competing in the Olympic Games in two pandemic Olympics in Asian countries — acclaimed on the global stage for their medal-winning talent, Shocked by an escalating crisis of racist abuse in the country.
The most elite and international sporting event in the world, in the process underscored the harsh reality faced by many Asian women: being seen only when they have something to offer.
“It’s like Asian-American women can’t win,” said author and cultural critic Jeff Young. “Asian American female athletes, like most Asian American women in many other fields, are considered valuable because they can deliver and then be disposed of in other ways.”
The issue plays out at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the third in a row to be held in Asia and the second during the relentless global coronavirus crisis — amid a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans This problem also played out.
Here, American snowboarder Chloe Kim and Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu are the latest additions to the “It Girls” roster of Asian-American women’s Winter Olympics, joining icons such as American figure skaters Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan. ranks.
When Jin and Gu won the gold medal in Beijing, it was the perfect bow to professional narratives that are constantly being reported on actual events. Their star power and talent have made them the de facto ambassadors for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, other Asian-American women, such as U.S. figure skaters Kailun Chen and Emily Liu, and China’s Zhu Yi, have also been promoted by their national teams and treated—sometimes harshly—by Olympic fans Review. Commentators ridiculed Yi Jianlian for losing in the team competition, as if she had given up her American citizenship to compete for her ancestral home, and she deserved it. Others were outraged that she had “stealed” an Olympic seat from a real Chinese-born athlete.
Even the winner will struggle to gain full acceptance in the United States. Kim Jong-il, who won the halfpipe at the Beijing and Pingchang Olympics, revealed that she was tortured online every day. She said that whenever she heard about another brutal attack on Asians, she worried that her parents might be killed.
Between March 2020 and September 2021, more than 10,000 anti-Asian incidents — from taunts to Total attack.
“The experience of hate is fading, and it takes a huge toll on mental health,” said Cynthia Choi, the coalition’s co-founder. “When we think about the Olympics, it’s really hard to have three editions in a row in Asia. Confidence. That context is very important, and having Asian Americans and Asians representing America in these games is more than symbolic.”
For two years, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country have been subjected to racist verbal, physical and sometimes fatal attacks, fueled by the pandemic.
The hatred of some perpetrators is based on the fact that the virus was first detected in Wuhan, China. What’s more: Former President Donald Trump often talks about COVID-19 in racial terms.
Gu, the intrepid freestyle skier who won first place in the big air race, said she never felt like she was like when a man gave her and her immigrant grandmother a tirade about the Chinese origins of the coronavirus at a San Francisco pharmacy. So scared now.
The San Francisco native, fashion model and social media personality has also been criticized for anti-China rhetoric for switching from Team USA to Team China. Fox News conservative figures Tucker Carlson and Will Kane even dedicate a segment to Gu, calling her “ungrateful” and “betrayal of her country.”
Those racially charged condemnations were called hypocrisy on social media. Phil Yu, who runs the popular Angry Asian Man blog, succinctly tweeted: “Oh sure, it’s always ‘go back to your country’ instead of ‘go back to your country to win gold’ ‘.”
The dichotomy that exists for Asian American women isn’t limited to Winter Olympics, though. In October, Hmong American gymnast Sunisa Lee said she was pepper sprayed by a man who shouted racist abuse while driving by in Los Angeles.
Lesser-known Olympians from the Tokyo Games, such as golfer Danielle Kang and karate artist Sakura Kokumai, spoke about their experiences with anti-Asian hatred last summer.
Kang said she has battled racism her entire life and urged a broader social studies curriculum to better capture today’s multicultural America.
“I was told to go back to China. I don’t know why they think China is the only Asian country,” the Korean-American athlete said. “I’ve also heard, ‘Do you have dog meat for dinner?’ It’s nothing new to me. However, the violence is very disturbing.”
Inter, who is Japanese-American, was annoyed to learn that the same man who had harassed her with racist abuse in April also attacked an older Asian-American couple. Equally painful: Colleagues remained silent when the incident was reported. She said the coach of the Japanese team called her before her U.S. team members.
“It really hurts that it took my league so long to fix this,” Inter said last summer.
In July, when Li won gold in the all-around event and bronze in the uneven bars as a breakout star at the Tokyo Olympics, Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, said she was concerned about seeing the Hmong’s marginalization. Way, Lee stood on the pedestal.
“We’re ‘Americans’ only when we do well and win a medal for our country, I really struggle,” Joe Morrow said. “Asian American women are super visible in a dehumanizing way and completely invisible in a humanizing way.”
