Snapshot of US embassy's Weibo post

The US Embassy in China has been questioned after posting color-adjusted photos to celebrate US swimmers' success at the Paris Olympics.
The embassy on Thursday updated its official Sina Weibo post to congratulate the US swimming team on their achievements at the Paris Olympics. However, the post has sparked controversy as many Chinese netizens noticed that the photos of the US swimmers' faces had been "color-adjusted," making the athletes' purple faces look more normal.

Some of the US swimmers had previously drawn attention for their abnormally purple faces after the races, which led to widespread suspicion that the US swimmers had been under the effect of certain drugs.

A US swimmer Photo: Snapshot from Sina Weibo

The National Health Commission's rehabilitation therapist Luo Chaofan told the Global Times that during high-intensity sports, the body's demand for oxygen increases significantly. If athletes cannot replenish oxygen in time, it can lead to tissue hypoxia, resulting in a purple face.

"This condition is usually temporary and can quickly be resolved once the athlete rests and adjusts their breathing," Luo noted.

However, the American swimming team remained purple even during the awards ceremony.

The limited number of doping tests conducted on American athletes has also raised concerns. Some argue that while the American team cites intense training as the reason for fewer tests, this does raise issues of fairness.

The US Embassy's perplexing action has become a hot topic. The edited photos have raised suspicions and led to a debate on social media platforms, with many Chinese netizens questioning the authenticity of the images and the transparency of the athletes' performance.

"Isn't this an attempt to cover something up?" some Chinese netizens asked on social media. They posted a comparison between the images posted by the US embassy and the original images posted by the BBC and other media outlets.

Global Times