Uproar over controversial detail in Olympics opening ceremony
The Olympics Opening Ceremony finally kicked off amid a string of controversies surrounding Covid-19, but a number of nations stood out during the celebration for the wrong reasons.
The majority of Olympic teams paraded with masks on during the Opening Ceremony, which saw Patty Mills carrying the Aussie flag jointly with swimmer Cate Campbell donning the protective gear.
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But, in stark contrast, the majority of Kyrgyzstan's team marched maskless into Tokyo's Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremony, despite the Covid-19 protocols on place.
Just one of the central Asian country's athletes covered his face, with the other members of the small delegation, including its two flag bearers, waving and smiling as they walked in.
A short while later the Tajikistan team marched in similarly maskless, while Pakistan's two flag bearers also chose not to cover their faces, unlike the vast majority of the other participants at the ceremony.
The brazen decision, broadcasted to the world, drew heavy criticism in a time when the world was meant to be coming together to celebrate.
Kyrgyzstan said “nah” to masks. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/3oeoOHp6QA
— Garin Pirnia (@gpirnia) July 24, 2021
Me- WHERE ARE THEIR MASKS?!? 😡
Daughter 1- Kyrgyzstan HEY SHAWTIES- WHERE YOUR MASKS 😷 #Olympics— JoDee Kenney (@JoDeeKenney) July 24, 2021
Kyrgyzstan just openly ignoring the mask rule, but those long Nehru jackets with the rose petal embroidery are fantastic. pic.twitter.com/EXmchWzpop
— Benjamin Freed (@brfreed) July 24, 2021
Even Iraq’s female flag bearer was without mask and there were other athletes who had removed their masks during the opening ceremony. pic.twitter.com/kOn6qYuPZ1
— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) July 23, 2021
#Pakistan Contingent's Flagbearers Flout COVID Rules, March Mask-Free During @Tokyo2020 Opening Ceremony.
Maskless flag bearers of Pakistan's #Olympics @Olympics team struck a stark contrast as they marched through Tokyo's National Stadium during the #Tokyo2020 Opening Ceremony. https://t.co/PDgR1XM8UA pic.twitter.com/2i9ePLgaZM— Joydeep Roy (@jdroy_) July 23, 2021
@Olympics why is #Kyrgyzstan not wearing masks? Every other country is!
— Nini (@crescia) July 24, 2021
The Olympic Committee hasn't officially responded to the outrage.
Korean broadcast slammed over 'inappropriate' imagery
Meanwhile, the South Korean broadcast caused uproar.
MBC was forced to apologise for using “totally inappropriate” graphics during Friday night's opening ceremony.
The broadcast displayed an image of Chernobyl when Ukraine was introduced, while Haitian athletes were accompanied by a caption that said: “The political situation is fogged by the assassination of the president.”
An image of a pizza accompanied the Italian athletes, while El Salvador received a photo of Bitcoin.
MBC later apologised after widespread backlash.
"In today’s Opening Ceremony broadcast, inappropriate photos were used when introducing countries like Ukraine and Haiti," they said.
"Also, inappropriate photos and subtitles were used for other countries. We apologise to the viewers of Ukraine and other countries."
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