The Ways Female K-Pop Artists Helped Celebrate the Olympics
With the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics underway, these sorts of global sporting events capture the world’s attention in more ways than just the athletes’ impressive performances. The Olympics provides an entire buildup to the games, including its torch relay and opening ceremony. While K-Pop idols and sports on the world stage don’t always intersect, it’s not like they haven’t been involved in other ways. For this week’s Ladies Corner, let’s reflect on some of the ways female K-Pop artists have helped add to the Olympic celebrations.
I.O.I’s Remake of 1988 Seoul Olympics Song, “Hand in Hand”
28 years after the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, I.O.I remade its official theme song to celebrate the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. The original song was performed by South Korean quartet Koreana, who also achieved international popularity. Hong Hwaja, Lee Aesook, Lee Seungkyu, and Lee Yongkyu sang “Hand in Hand” during the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics’s opening ceremony on September 17, 1988. The anthem features a composition by Italian composer Giorgio Moroder, Korean lyrics by Kim Moonhwan, and English lyrics written by American songwriter Tom Witlock.
I.O.I’s version released on August 15, 2016, with a pop and EDM arrangement by east4A. This includes a recording of what sounds like the 1988 performance before transitioning to I.O.I’s vocals. The song’s physical single shows the I.O.I logo recolored with each “ㅇ” representing one of the five Olympic rings. In celebration of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the song also received a new remix on February 14, 2018.. However, it lacks the addition of the original performance.
Female K-Pop Idol Torchbearers for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
7,500 individuals took part in Pyeongchang’s Olympic Torch Relay in 2018. Among these, female K-Pop idols also helped the torch reach the Olympic cauldron. Former I.O.I members Chaeyeon, Yeonjung, and Jeon Somi went from singing the “Hand in Hand” remake to becoming torchbearers. Other female idols included:
SISTAR’s Soyou
Former miss A member Bae Suzy
WJSN’s Exy, Seola, Bona, and Luda (with Yeonjung)
Former AOA members Seolhyun, Jimin, and Dohwa (formerly known as Chanmi)
CL at the Closing Ceremony for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
2NE1’s CL helped say goodbye to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics with a performance at its closing ceremony on February 25, 2018. She and EXO were the two K-Pop acts that appeared. She performed her solo debut track “The Baddest Female” and 2NE1’s iconic “I Am The Best.” CL accomplished a lot in her five-minute set.
Backed by dancers with vibrant hair and smooth moves, CL lit up the stage with her rap and pyrotechnic features that accompanied her during “The Baddest Female.” “I Am The Best” turned the stadium into a dance party with flashing lights as the crowd shouted back “Naega jeil jal naga” (“I am the best”), echoing the song’s impact within the K-Pop scene.
Girl Group Songs at Olympic Figure Skating Galas
To conclude the competitions of the Olympics, figure skaters lace up their skates for the fun, anything-goes gala exhibition. The gala, which allows athletes “to wear what they want and skate with no care in the world,” has seen some K-Pop interpretations. South Korean pair skaters Kim Kyuen and Alex Kangchan Kam danced along to 2NE1’s “I Am The Best” and Red Velvet’s “Red Flavor” during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics’s exhibition gala. Each part of the short segment featured point choreography of both songs, including a very cute show of the shocked expressions of “Red Flavour.” CL told Billboard “it was very meaningful to see my fans kill it.”
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics’s gala exhibition saw American figure skater Alysa Liu bring out her skills to ITZY’s “LOCO.” Liu, who placed seventh at that Olympics, combined the choreography on ice with the “crazy” hand point moves of the original song. After the games, Liu continued expressing love for K-Pop through her solo skate at the 2022 Stars on Ice to STAYC’s “RUN2U.” Though Liu has since retired from competitive skating, combining both passions on the world stage is a memorable feat.
Edited by Clark Royandoyan