When I sat down to watch the prime-time broadcast of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony with my three young children, we were excited. 9% of Team USA, like them, are of Asian Pacific heritage: 22 men and 29 women across 18 sports.
And yet, not once were any of the Asian Pacific athletes featured during the entirety of the four-hour broadcast. What’s more, while the Paris Olympics has eclipsed both Rio and Tokyo combined in total number of advertisers, only one spot starred an Asian Pacific medal contender during the opening ceremony (Eli Lilly featured gymnast Lee in one of their spots about eczema). To add insult to injury, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcers also mistakenly announced South Korea (the Republic of Korea) as North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).
What will it take for the Asian Pacific community to be recognized for what we bring? Somehow, while we’re winning on the courts and mats of Olympic competition and in the corridors of Corporate America, our collective brand remains severely undervalued.
While there has been progress in recent years, there is so much opportunity to ensure that all viewers of the next Olympics and beyond are reflected authentically.
So many stories, so many channels to share them
We’ve made strides in Hollywood (demonstrated by the success of Shogun to currently playing coming-of-age story Didi). But just four months ago McKinsey and Gold House launched a study that showed that the lack of Asian Pacific stories being released by studios is leaving billions on the table.
We’ve made strides in leadership—between 2020 and 2023, there was a nearly 60% increase in public Fortune 1000 board seats held by Asians according to a study by Ascend. In government, more Asian Pacific leaders are running for office, led by a South Asian and Black woman running for President.
In The Paris Olympics, we watched and cheered for Olympic Gold Medal gymnast Sunisa Lee; Sunny Choi, representing Team USA in the newly introduced breaking category; Lee Keifer, Gold Medalist in women’s fencing, and three-time fencing Olympian Alexander Massialas.
