Olympic games 1936

In 1936, the Olympic Games were held in Berlin. Kitei Son, a Korean marathon athlete, was forced to compete for Japan since at that time Korea was occupied by Japan. When he won a gold medal, breaking the Olympic record, Japan received the credit despite Kitei Son’s protest. He was quoted saying: “Even if I won the marathon for Japan, it does not mean that Japan has won. Please consider what this means”. Half a century later, at the Summer Olympics in 1988 in Seoul, Korea, he was given the honour of carrying the Olympic torch into the stadium at the opening ceremony. The project consists of a Japanese flag hoisted in front of a wall, which casts a shadow in the form of a Korean flag.

*photo data01:
L: Picture from the Korean newspaper “East Asia Daily”, 25.08.1936
R: Olympics' official photo, Berlin, 09.08.1936

*photo data02 (Kitei Son):
L: Berlin Olympics, 1936
R: Soul Olympics, 1988

*photo data03 (Kitei Son):
Official website of the Olympic Games

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