People feel very happy, go ROFL and enjoy the moment when they achieve that they wanted. Isn’t it? You can’t be sad when you are holding a cupcake that is your favourite. In that case, imagine if you had achieved a Gold Medal for your country? We feel so proud and feel great. But here is an athlete who got the Gold Medal but is still unhappy.
Meet Mr. Ri-Se-Gwang, a North Korean Gymnast, the saddest athlete holds an awesome Gold Medal and yet he is unhappy. Look at his expression.
That was the look he shared when he was on the podium. It seems he was unhappy or angry as if the Gold medal and the Bronze medal got exchanged.
The photographers must be like, “Hey, should we wait for him to smile?”
The surprising aspect is that that’s the loot he gives at every world event. Have a look at the photo when he achieved a Medal in 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship.
Why this sadness? Let us know the reason behind it.
Michael Madden, a scholar, explains the sports diplomacy policy that prevails in the country since the 80s. Under this, successful athletes receive state titles and government awards whereas the ones who fail can result in ‘criticism sessions’ conducted by the party. After his victory, Ri Se-Gwang was interviewed and this is what he said.
“It doesn’t stop here. All North Korean athletes were asked to submit their phones by their representatives so as to stop their communication with the outside world. The athletes were also reportedly banned from visiting tourist sites or spending time with athletes from other teams. It is hard to imagine the circumstances under the Kim Jong-Un led the country,” he said.
But we hope that this world champion will smile back home.