China secured a silver medal in the women’s balance beam event at the Olympics on Monday, but the individual gymnastics competition has now been overshadowed by controversy.
A new behind-the-scenes video allegedly shows one of the judges displaying partiality towards the Chinese team prior to her judging assignment. The video, which first circulated through WhatsApp groups, was posted on X by Brazilian Olympic journalist Demetrio Vecchioli.
It appears to be filmed in the warm-up gym and focuses on a woman believed to be Zhou Qiurui. Zhou won a bronze medal with Team China in the women’s team competition at the 1984 Olympic Games and is currently serving as a judge at the Olympics in Paris this summer.
If the video is as it appears, Zhou was fraternizing with the Chinese team before the balance beam competition. The footage shows the woman pulling her phone out of her pocket and taking a photo of the silver medal that Qui Qiyuan won on the uneven bars.
The exact details surrounding the video are still unclear. The timing and context of the filming are not known. However, Vecchioli reports that the video was captured just moments before the balance beam competition, where Zhou Qiurui was one of the judges on assignment.
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Olympic judges are required to remain neutral. Interestingly, Zhou Yaqin of China won the silver medal in the balance beam event despite a routine that was notably unsteady at the beginning.
Although she was the favorite for the gold medal due to her high degree of difficulty, she had to kick high in the air to stay on the beam.
There is debate over whether her performance deserved a silver medal score. Team Brazil, in particular, might argue that it did not, as their athlete Rebeca Andrade finished fourth. However, such an argument may be biased.
Regardless, Zhou Yaqin’s performance was still impressive. That being said, if Zhou Qiurui was indeed socializing with Team China prior to judging the balance beam, there are serious questions that need to be addressed. For instance, a surfing judge in Tahiti was removed from his post mid-event after taking a photo with one of the athletes.
While gymnastics competition is officially over, making such immediate action impossible in this case, an investigation should be initiated immediately to ensure the integrity of the sport.
