A Chinese embassy slammed the Western media for using an 'ugly' photo of weightlifter who won gold

© AP Photo/Luca Bruno Zhihui Hou of China. AP Photo/Luca Bruno

• China's Zhihui Hou won gold in the Women's 49kg Weightlifting competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
• Reuters ran a story on the win featuring a picture of the 24-year-old straining to make a lift.
• A Chinese embassy critiqued the photo choice, alleging it "only shows how ugly they are."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Zhihui Hou won gold for China at the Tokyo Olympics.

But the 24-year-old's country seemed more concerned with her appearance than with her mind-boggling athletic feats.

© AP Photo/Luca Bruno Zhihui Hou brandishes her Olympic gold medal. AP Photo/Luca Bruno

The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka criticized Reuters for its photo choice in a story the North American-based media organization ran about Hou's first-place finish in the Women's 49kg Weightlifting competition on Saturday.

The photo in question - shown below - appears to capture Hou straining as she hoists the barbell above her waist:

© Provided by INSIDER Chinese weightlifter Zhihui Hou. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

In a message posted through its official Twitter account, embassy officials accused Reuters of putting "politics and ideologies above sports" by selecting a photo that "only shows how ugly they are."

Video: Tokyo Olympics Controversies To Know Ahead Of 2021 Games: COVID Cases To Swim Caps (Newsweek)

Tokyo Olympics Controversies To Know Ahead Of 2021 Games: COVID Cases To Swim Caps

Newsweek See more videos

SHARE

SHARE

TWEET

SHARE

EMAIL

What to watch next

• 

  Which Republican Senators Have Received The Most Funding From The NRA?

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Amber Heard Cries On Stand: 'I Just Want Johnny To Leave Me Alone'

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Recruiter's LinkedIn Post About Job Interview Attire Sparks Heated Debate

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Kevin Spacey Charged With Sexual Assault In The U.K.

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Prayer Vigils Held Across Texas For Elementary School Shooting Victims

  
  Newsweek
• 

  What Are ‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws And How Do They Work?

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Klaus Schwab’s Opening Remarks In Davos: ‘Future Is Built By Us’

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Jon Hamm Jokes Prince William's Eyes Made Co-Star Fall In 'Love' In London

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Rep. Johnson: COMPETES Act Will Create A 'Strong And Diverse' Workforce

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Texas Preacher Jonathan Shelley Calls Pride 'An Abomination'

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Watch As Solar Flare Explodes From Sunspot

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Watch: Woman Loses Shoe Inside Airplane, Given Slipper By Flight Attendant

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Dog Joining Encore On Stage Delights Internet

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Kissinger Calls To Cede To Russia Akin to 1930s Appeasement: Zelensky

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Venomous, Invasive Lionfish Swarm Around WW2 Shipwreck In Unsettling Footage

  
  Newsweek
• 

  Watch: Utah GOP Senator Blames Mass Shootings On ‘Fatherlessness’

  
  Newsweek

Click to expand

Replay Video

• Which Republican Senators Have Received The Most Funding From The NRA? Mitt Romney, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Mitch McConnell are among the top Senate Republicans who have received substantial funding from the NRA over the years. Here's who else makes the list. Newsweek
• Amber Heard Cries On Stand: 'I Just Want Johnny To Leave Me Alone' Amber Heard began crying as she testified about her experience during the defamation trial, calling it "humiliating" and "painful." "I just want Johnny to leave me alone," Heard said in court on Thursday. Newsweek
• Recruiter's LinkedIn Post About Job Interview Attire Sparks Heated Debate Comments were divided over how applicants should appear for a virtual job interview, a step in the hiring process that has evolved since the start of COVID-19. Newsweek

UP NEXT

"Shameless," they added.

-Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) July 24, 2021

Hou set Olympic records in three different categories - snatch, clean and jerk, and total - during her hardware-earning performance at the games. Her 210 kg - or roughly 463-pound - haul left the 4-foot-10 star just three kilos shy of breaking her own world record.

The Chinese embassy's tweet didn't mention any of it. And when Twitter users pushed back on the assertion that the photo in question was "ugly" or used in a mean-spirited manner, the embassy doubled down on its accusations.

"Same day, same Olympics, same Reuters, different faces," the embassy wrote on Twitter Saturday. "Maybe it's because everything good in life comes easier for the white westerners?"

-Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) July 24, 2021