Controversial multitalented China actor Wang Yibo lands Paris Olympic torch role

26-year-old actor, hip hop dancer, motorcycle racer will take Games flame on last leg through heart of Paris

Multitalented and controversial Chinese actor Wang Yibo will be one of China’s Olympic torchbearers at this month’s Paris Olympics. According to Hongxing News, on July 14, he will carry the torch through the heart of the French capital for the final leg of the journey. Known for his talent as a professional bike racer and exceptional skills as a street dancer, Wang decided to pursue a career in acting. At just 13 years old, he competed in a national street dance competition, competing against dancers of all ages and reaching the top 16 in the hip-hop category. From 2020 to 2022, he led a team on China’s hit TV show “Street Dance of China.”

His ability has received widespread praise, famously in particular from renowned Japanese dancer Koharu Sugawara who said playfully of his skills.

“Watching him move, I felt like I couldn’t keep up. Maybe I should stop dancing.” Wang is also a professional motorcycle racer. In 2019, after just one year of training, he competed in the Asian Road Racing Championships and placed first in the rookie division. After each race, he posts recaps on Weibo, including photos of his bike helmet, with fans jokingly calling him his “girlfriend.” Not surprisingly, Wang has 41 million followers on the Weibo platform. In 2022, he was an ambassador for ice and snow sports at the Beijing Winter Olympics. “He was always passionate about sports…” one of his fans wrote on Weibo. Another said, “You are the most promising torchbearer representing China on the world stage. I will always root for you.” Chinese fans also call Wang the “Iceberg Beauty” thanks to her role in the 2019 TV drama “The Untamed,” based on a popular boys’ romance novel.

He played a main character called Lan Wangji, who appears cold-hearted on the outside but is actually gentle and sensitive.

In 2023, he won the Most Media-Attention Male Lead Actor award for the spy thriller film Hidden Blade, in which he co-starred in with Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

However, despite his many successes, the promising young actor has been embroiled in several controversial racist scandals.

In May, Wang was criticised for appearing in blackface make-up in a film about Chinese peacekeepers in war-torn Africa, sparking allegations of racial hostility and ignorance.

In 2019, he was caught on camera making a “slant-eyes” pose at a fashion event, which is considered a racist depiction of Asians.

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