๐บ Wrapping Up the Activities of "All in Me", the Human Rights Media Monitoring Team for the Milan Olympics
The 2026 MilanโCortina Winter Olympic Games came to a close on 22 February 2026. Compared with the tremendous enthusiasm that Korean audiences have shown for previous Olympic Games, this year's Olympics appeared to attract considerably less public attention in Korea.
Several human rights-related issues emerged during the Games, including the controversy over JTBC's exclusive broadcasting rights in Korea, the IOC's enforcement of its regulations prohibiting political expression in response to a Ukrainian athlete's commemorative helmet, the debate surrounding the participation of transgender athletes, and demonstrations by residents of Milan protesting the Olympic Games ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
Throughout the Olympic Games in February, the SHRI operated the Olympic Human Rights Media Monitoring Team, monitoring domestic television broadcasts and news coverage to identify human rights issues that arose during the Winter Olympics and to examine their underlying structural causes.
At the first meeting, participants explored the IOC's human rights framework and its media guidelines together.
Over the following weeks, the team monitored news reports and Olympic broadcasts, holding discussion sessions to examine a wide range of human rights-related issues and exchange perspectives. Among the topics discussed were the JTBC Rising Sun Flag broadcast incident and sexist remarks made by Dennis van Tetering, a coach of the Dutch national speed skating team, both of which drew attention during the previous week of the Olympic Games.
The team also critically examined the continued use of gendered expressions such as "Ice Princess" in Korean media coverage of female athletes. In addition, participants explored the various social movements and public protests that took place in Milan around the time of the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
At the final meeting, each member of the monitoring team selected a topic of interest and shared a report or reflective essay that they had prepared.
The essays and reports will soon be compiled and published. We look forward to sharing them with you and appreciate your interest.
๐บ Wrapping Up the Activities of "All in Me", the Human Rights Media Monitoring Team for the Milan Olympics
The 2026 MilanโCortina Winter Olympic Games came to a close on 22 February 2026. Compared with the tremendous enthusiasm that Korean audiences have shown for previous Olympic Games, this year's Olympics appeared to attract considerably less public attention in Korea.
Several human rights-related issues emerged during the Games, including the controversy over JTBC's exclusive broadcasting rights in Korea, the IOC's enforcement of its regulations prohibiting political expression in response to a Ukrainian athlete's commemorative helmet, the debate surrounding the participation of transgender athletes, and demonstrations by residents of Milan protesting the Olympic Games ahead of the Opening Ceremony.
Throughout the Olympic Games in February, the SHRI operated the Olympic Human Rights Media Monitoring Team, monitoring domestic television broadcasts and news coverage to identify human rights issues that arose during the Winter Olympics and to examine their underlying structural causes.
At the first meeting, participants explored the IOC's human rights framework and its media guidelines together.
Over the following weeks, the team monitored news reports and Olympic broadcasts, holding discussion sessions to examine a wide range of human rights-related issues and exchange perspectives. Among the topics discussed were the JTBC Rising Sun Flag broadcast incident and sexist remarks made by Dennis van Tetering, a coach of the Dutch national speed skating team, both of which drew attention during the previous week of the Olympic Games.
The team also critically examined the continued use of gendered expressions such as "Ice Princess" in Korean media coverage of female athletes. In addition, participants explored the various social movements and public protests that took place in Milan around the time of the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
At the final meeting, each member of the monitoring team selected a topic of interest and shared a report or reflective essay that they had prepared.
The essays and reports will soon be compiled and published. We look forward to sharing them with you and appreciate your interest.