SBS slammed for pointing out bow mark on female archer's face during interview

Local broadcaster SBS is under fire for pointing out a bow mark on the face of female Olympic multi-gold medalist archer Lim Si-hyeon during an interview.

In a short video posted to SBS’ YouTube channel on July 27, the interview features Lim answering questions about her determination for the competition.

At one point, the interviewer points out, “There is a bow mark on your chin.”

Lim explains that where the bowstrings repeatedly hit her chin, the skin has developed pigmentation. The interviewer then asks whether Lim has plans to erase the scar with laser treatment, to which Lim responds that she is not very bothered by the scar now, but might consider it after retiring from the sport.

While some commenters online disagreed that the question was sexist, arguing it was merely unnecessary, many online critics pointed out that asking about a female athlete’s appearance is inappropriate. This view was reinforced by the absence of similar questions during interviews with the men’s archery team.

“I’ve never seen male wrestling players receive questions about surgery for cauliflower ears,” read a comment on an online article about Lim's interview on the portal giant Naver.

“The fact that they didn’t even realize it was wrong until someone pointed it out and edited the video is unbelievable," another added,

SBS has since deleted the interview from its YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Media Workers’ Gender Equality Committee has released reporting guidelines for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which include avoiding descriptions of female athletes based on appearance or making comments that evaluate their looks.