Four students of a gymnastics school in Xuzhou, China, do toe-pressure training for 30 minutes in the afternoon. (Photo/Agencies)
An award-winning photograph depicting the hard training regime of young Chinese gymnasts has caused a storm of controversy after some netizens said the award reflects the world's bias against Chinese athletes.
The image, titled "Sweat makes champions" by photographer Wang Tiejun, on Monday won second prize in the Daily Life singles category of the 60th World Press Photo Contest.
The black-and-white photo, taken on July 15, 2016, shows four primary-age students of a gymnastics school in Xuzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, doing what is described as "toe-pressing training." The four girls have their backs against a wall, and are supporting themselves on the tips of their toes for 30 minutes. Their legs appear to have bruises, and their expressions appear to indicate their discomfort.
However, the award was slammed by some Net users, after they found the contest had previously awarded prizes to nine similar photos of Chinese gymnasts in the sports category, reflecting that the organization behind the contest "demonizes" Chinese sport and furthered the stereotype that Chinese athletes undergo a tortuous training regime.
These netizens became more outraged after finding that the photo was previously pitched in the sports category, but was later awarded in the daily life section, which was thought "inappropriate" by some netizens.
Some Net users argued that news photos are supposed to reflect facts, regardless of whether someone will feel offended or unpleasant.
Wang, the photographer, told the Global Times that he hoped people could focus more on his work, in which he intended to highlight the positive side of these children - trying hard to achieve their dreams.
"It's not about being tortured or oppressed; the photo tells the story that success is not made easily, which is also part of my understanding of the Chinese dream," Wang said.
"The picture will help the world understand the Chinese dream, and the award category was accepted internationally," he added.
Founded in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation is an independent organization based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The competition in 2017 received 80,408 pictures from 5,034 photographers in 125 countries.
