The first week of the Olympics sparked a debate about whether U.S. news organizations, such as NBC News and the Chicago Tribune, were being sexist in their coverage of female athletes by crediting the women’s accomplishments to their coaches and husbands. Sadly, the U.S. isn’t alone. In some cases, news organizations from elsewhere in the world have been even worse.
Take the headline that the Korea Times had on a story about Kim Yeon-Koung, a top player on the country’s Olympic volleyball team: “Boyfriend a tall order for 192cm South Korean volleyball star.” The Los Angeles Times reports such comments about female athletes are so prevalent in South Korean media that fans there have created a Google Docs spreadsheet to keep track.
In Europe, German sports commentator Carsten Sostmeier of public broadcaster ARD kicked off an interview with equestrian Julia Krajewski by saying: “Let’s see what the blondie has to say.” Sostmeier also called Krajewski a “scaredy-cat” after her horse refused to jump, prompting equestrian team head Dennis Peiler to say he was “way out of line.” Sostmeier later apologized, but it’s hard to imagine a male athlete ever being identified by the color of his hair.
Researchers at Cambridge University Press, who found a massive gender divide in a new study about the media coverage of athletes, are keeping an eye on Rio to see if the trend in lopsided commentary continues. We’re only halfway through the Games, but I think they may already have an answer.
Be sure to check out Fortune‘s new weekly show, Broad Strokes, featuring Kristen Bellstrom, of our sister publication, the Broadsheet, as well as Valentina Zarya. The latest episode discusses sexism at the Olympics and the ongoing sexual harassment controversy at Fox News.
Also, tune into Fortune’s new podcast, Fortune Unfiltered with Aaron Task, which features entrepreneurship expert Carol Roth today.