Spanish Olympic Team makes a "racist" Ad against Chinese/Asians

**gearhead** · August 13th, 2008 10:54 AM

What were they thinking? Will this dash their hopes of hosting the games?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008....olympics20081

Spain's Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures. The advert for a courier company, which is an official sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation, occupied a full page in the sports daily Marca, the country's best-selling newspaper.
The advert features two large photographs, one of the men's basketball team, above, and one of the women's team. Both squads pose in full Olympic kit on a basketball court decorated with a picture of a Chinese dragon. Every single player appears pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes. The advert carries the symbol of the sport's governing body.
No one involved in the advert appears to have considered it inappropriate nor contemplated the manner in which it could be interpreted in China and elsewhere. No offence was intended by the advert, but whether the Chinese see it that way is a different matter and it is likely to provoke more criticism at a delicate time for Spanish sport. The failure to recognise the potential consequences is striking in the light of the problems Spain has had with issues of race and the Spanish Olympic committee's continued desire to host the Games in Madrid in 2016 or 2020.
In the past the Spanish have been left in no doubt as to the sensitivity of racial issues internationally, especially since Spain's football manager, Luis Aragonés, made his infamous remark about Thierry Henry, monkey chants greeted England's football players in a friendly game in Madrid and the formula one driver Lewis Hamilton was subjected to abuse in Barcelona.

**coiter** · August 13th, 2008 11:09 AM

personally, i don't see anything wrong with it. unless having such eyes were a handicap or something and the spanish team made fun of it.

**tidus1203** · August 13th, 2008 11:09 AM

Notorious na mga Spanish regarding racist acts. I remember sa F1 din pati si Lewis Hamilton who is black was a victim of their racist behavior. Well whatever, Spain is just a speck compared to China anyway...

**Isuzoom** · August 13th, 2008 12:55 PM

Shaq O' neal made a mistake mocking chinese conversation...he was fined by the NBA and he apologized.

With the spanish team...they are just pointing to their brainless head.

**shadow** · August 13th, 2008 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by coiter

personally, i don't see anything wrong with it. unless having such eyes were a handicap or something and the spanish team made fun of it.

I beg to disagree, hinde naman na kailagan gawin eh, even if it's not a handicap to have a chinky eye, eh pangit pa rin ginawa nila...

what if other nationality eh gawin naman na i-press ang ilong nilo to indicate na sarat mga ilong ng pinoy, it is also not a handicap to have a flat nose pero nakakabastos diba?

**coiter** · August 13th, 2008 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by shadow

I beg to disagree, hinde naman na kailagan gawin eh, even if it's not a handicap to have a chinky eye, eh pangit pa rin ginawa nila...

what if other nationality eh gawin naman na i-press ang ilong nilo to indicate na sarat mga ilong ng pinoy, it is also not a handicap to have a flat nose pero nakakabastos diba?

hmm ok lang naman. kung talagang ganun naman physical attributes natin in general, why take it as an insult? ang message pa nga sa akin e they're trying to be chinese as best as they can in a still photo without costumes. just trying to be one of them (chinese). well kanya kanyang interpretation na lang siguro.

**nicolodeon** · August 14th, 2008 07:04 AM

If I were the host, I'd probably just be slighted...not insulted really. I'd also look at in on the bright side: I'm leading the medal race - and oh, where's Spain in the standings?

As far as Spaniards being racist, I'm not so sure of that. I've had the pleasure of working with a lot of Spanish folks - I found them warm and caring and oh, the ladies were pretty too.

**fourtheboys96** · August 14th, 2008 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by shadow

I beg to disagree, hinde naman na kailagan gawin eh, even if it's not a handicap to have a chinky eye, eh pangit pa rin ginawa nila...

what if other nationality eh gawin naman na i-press ang ilong nilo to indicate na sarat mga ilong ng pinoy, it is also not a handicap to have a flat nose pero nakakabastos diba?

personally, ndi ako mababastusan kung ipakita sa akin na sarat ilong ko.

di ba yan naman talaga ang itsura natin.

ngayon kung sabihin nila na sarat ang ilong ko na para akong unggoy, yan ang bastusan.

siguro, mas ok tanunging yung mga fil-chinese kung bakit offensive tong gesture na ito ng spanish team.