In February 2026, the Milan Winter Olympics were in full swing. This should have been a moment of glory for Chinese sports, with nationwide cheers and celebration. Su Yiming, a young athlete from Jilin, stunned the world in the snowboard slopestyle event, with a breathtaking jump, winning China’s first gold medal of the Games.

By tradition, China’s state machinery should have gone into overdrive: CCTV looping the victory, trending searches dominating, the nation rejoicing, elevating the champion to heroic status. Yet, reality was different. Faced with this highly valuable first gold, official media coverage was deliberately restrained, avoiding key details behind the triumph. The decision stemmed from the identity of the individual behind Su Yiming’s win: Yasuhiro Sato, whom the CCP found unsettling.

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