The latest edition of the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro is getting a lot of flak for its sexist undertones. From men being cited as the reason for the success of a woman athlete to questionable comments about female participants, many viewers have been left angry and frustrated.
On Thursday morning, Kumail Nanjiani, a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, tweeted out his opinion on the Olympics, calling out the sexism in the international coverage of the mega-sport event. Nanjiani's tweet highlighted how female achievement in sports can be portrayed differently. The tweet has since then gone viral.
Nanjiani is best known for his role as a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley. He has been cracking up Twitter with his 140-character hilarious takes on life.
Other social media users followed Nanjiani's lead.
Robel the Whale
Ethiopia’s Olympic swimmer, Robel Kiros Habte, competed in the men's 100 meter freestyle heats. Unfortunately for Habte, he came in last, finishing the lap a good 15 seconds after his competitors.
Social media ripped apart his "terrible performance" by commenting on his "dad-bod". Labelled "Robel the Whale" for his portly physique, the 24-year-old has announced that he would not be participating in the Olympics again.
The university student, whose father Kiros Habte Kinfe is president of Ethiopia's swimming federation, said, "Everybody, every day you wake up in Ethiopia, you run. Not swimming. But I didn't want to run, I wanted to be a swimmer."
Bringing down the body-shamers
Also having a difficult time was Mexican gymnast Alexa Moreno. The 22-year-old was trolled for being "fat" and labelled a "flying pig", among other things.
Moreno competed in five events, ranking highest in the women's vault, for which she came in 12th.
Moreno is 4'11" and weighs 45 kgs – well within the healthy weight range.
The haters had to eat their words when Twitterati came to Moreno's rescue reiterating how she had been an inspiration to many.
Rowing his boat
Indian rower Dattu Baban Bhokanal might be out of medal reckoning in the Rio Olympic Games but his back story has touched a lot of people.
He finished fourth in the quarter-finals of the men's single sculls in Rio on Tuesday with a ranking of 15th overall. The top 12 were eligible to qualify for the semifinals.
This Facebook post paints a painfully beautiful picture of the struggles of the 25-year-old onion farmer from one of the most drought-stricken areas of Maharashtra.
Armyman Bhokanal, whose ailing mother is in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in India, had clocked 7:21.67s in the Heats.
It is like how the post reiterates, "It takes all kinds of strengths to be an Olympian."
X-rated Olympics?
In a role reversal, the unfortunate positioning of scoreboards during the Olympic footage is making male divers appear naked. The apparent nudity has turned social media into a cheeky place, thanks to the not-safe-for-work screenshots with TV information covering up the divers' already skimpy swimming trunks.
Simone Biles can fly!
Olympian gymnast Simone Biles maybe all of 19 but she has a total of 14 world championship medals under her belt, making her the most decorated American female gymnast of all time.
Biles can jump with a huge amount of momentum - a benefit attributed to her height of 4'8". The talented woman has a cult following which truly believe that she can fly and how!
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