Chinese Media Criticizes Paris Olympics, Blames French Culture For Errors

The Chinese state-run Global Times has sharply criticized the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, attributing a series of organizational mishaps to the “sense of relaxation” inherent in French culture. Among the issues highlighted were the mistaken identification of South Korea as North Korea during the opening ceremony and numerous spelling errors in athletes’ names on official social media accounts.

The Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony, held last Friday, faced widespread criticism in the West for its controversial pagan imagery and sexually suggestive content. However, South Korean viewers were particularly incensed when their delegation was incorrectly presented as representing the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” the official name for North Korea. This error, compounded by blurred photos of the South Korean flag on Olympic social media, escalated into an international incident requiring diplomatic intervention, given the ongoing state of war between the two Koreas.

Additional challenges have plagued the Games, including fecal contamination in the Seine River leading to postponed events and environmentalist-driven restrictions on air conditioning that forced some athletes to bring their own cooling devices or leave the Olympic Village altogether.

The Global Times suggested that these issues stem from French cultural traits rather than failures of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or previous Games’ challenges, such as those in Beijing in 2022. The publication cited “Chinese netizens” who mocked the French organizers’ errors as indicative of a laid-back attitude.

The Global Times continued, noting other blunders, such as an Argentine swimmer being misidentified as Chinese, which caused her considerable embarrassment. The article concluded that the numerous mistakes and awkward moments reflected a French “openness, freedom, and inclusiveness,” albeit in a derisive tone.

While the Global Times used terms like “commendable” and did not directly compare the Paris Games to the Beijing Olympics, the implication was clear: French people lack the diligence and attention to detail supposedly characteristic of Chinese culture. This sentiment echoes past editorials, such as a 2018 piece that disparaged Brazilian culture during the 2016 Summer Olympics, asserting that Brazilians were less hardworking and diligent than the Chinese.

Despite friendly relations between China and France, highlighted by a recent visit from Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Global Times did not hold back in its critique. In contrast, the outlet praised Chinese manufacturing contributions to the Paris Games, attributing the event’s technological and visual successes to Chinese products.

China has hosted the Olympics twice: the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, both in Beijing. The latter event was controversial due to China’s human rights abuses, particularly the genocide against the Uyghur people, and its role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

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