coming up next in news asia born in the usa, but whitting olympic gold for china. we'll take a look at free styles, skia id go. i'm the overlap between sports and politics. but as a chance, we'll have that story and both d, w duce asia in just a moment, back the top of the day with t w's crime fighters are back that africa. most successful radio drama series continues for the whole episodes are available online. and of course you can share and discuss on d, w, africa's facebook page, and other social media platforms, crime fighters, tune in now. but every day counts for us and for our planet. golden ideas is on its way to bring you more

conservation. how do we make cities greener? how can we protect habitats? we can make a difference. global ideas, the environmental series in global $3000.00 on t w and online. you're watching t w news asia coming up today, the breakout star of the olympics, but not without controversy. we take a closer look at free style skier, eileen goop, us born and representing china, showing once again the complex intersection between sports and politics. plus a team of one. we profile india's only competitor at the game and did for glory and high achievement of a different kind. a store in tokyo showcases the and value of workers with

disabilities. ah, i melissa chan, thanks for joining us. it's no secret that china has staked a lot of national pride in a successful beijing winter olympics. so it's perhaps no small irony that one of the host nations crowning moment so far has come from an athlete born in the united states. her name is eileen who the chinese american freestyle ski are opted to represent china at the games. while many olympians have switched country representations in the past. her toys comes at a low point in us china relations. and also after a year long campaign by human rights groups who called for a boycott because of beijing systemic detention of an estimated 1000000 weaker muslims and other minorities whose national allegiances were questions at

a news conference following her gold medal victory. she was quizzed on whether she still held a us passport. officially china bands, citizens from holding to nationalities, but go repeatedly avoided giving the question street answer. here's what she said quote, i definitely feel as though i'm just as american as i am chinese. i'm american. when i'm in the u. s, and i'm chinese, when i'm in china and quote, she also made no reference to china's human rights record though she has been vocal about social justice issues in the us, such as the black lives matter movement, quote. i know that i have a good heart and i know that my reasons for making the decisions i do are based on a greater common interest. if people don't believe me, and if people don't like me, then that's their loss. they're never going to win the olympics. well, chinese,

he prays on aileen grew another olympian with a similar background, has experienced a radically different games. california born figure skater, ju yi, gave up us citizenship to compete for china. but she was savaged on social media after folly several times during her event. abuse was so bad, the chinese social network way, boy suspended dozens of accounts and deleted hundreds of posts. some of them telling julie to quote, go back to america. she's also been picked on for her shaky mandarin, all this underscoring that china sports industrial complex mostly cares about winners and we have human rights watch as yet. you won joining us yet. you. what do you make of the island go controversy? well, i think there is a real flash, you know the polarization in the us in the,

in china because i alternately don't see, you know, she's representing china is too much a problem. the problem i see that, you know, she has such a platform. she has such a voice in china, but you know, she's using the voice to you some way defend to come is to party, give you an example. so he posted a something always to graham, then someone asked me, you know, the chinese people inside kind of can't use instagram. how do you say about that? and he said, well, it's easy because you can just literally download an app in the app store for free . but that is not true because the app store, i mean, go using is the us app, store it in i phone because, you know, there are many vps available, but that's the vpn is not available in the app store in china. so, you know, he's trying to make things look better than it is about china also he mentioned

about post, right. he said, oh, i'm very happy to see that she are tending to my van, you know, he's out there out about without to mention the broader context to that poster. it doesn't actually have the freedom to speak her mind. it's very interesting about hung for, of course we, we know that the international olympic committees, thomas bach has made some comments. could you tell us a little bit more about that controversy because it's been embedded into the games . yes. you know, thompson bob has had several calls with punch. try to show that he, you know, look, he's to you fine. she told me, she's great. she's house a, he has freedom. but this, we are know that, you know, this is part of the chinese government's stage to appearance are people who, you know, had, who are craig on the government. and then they got disappeared and they got reappeared because the government told them to say whatever they want to say,

i think of the i o c to play a role, a huge big international organization to play our role of a long running propaganda scheme is very shameful. and then the last to the latest episode is to us bach and polish i can, i think was event. yeah, it's very interesting. so essentially what you're saying is that the i o c's comments, which a lot of people outside china really doubt about the safety and security of punch. why is being echoed by aileen goose. so she's spreading this message that there's nothing to see here. but at the end of the day, she's just 18 years old. so to an extent, it's not very fair to dissect everything. i mean go, says, so i'm wondering about the ecosystem around her. how does she fit into china's support system and within the single party state? i mean, she, i agree. i mean, she's 18 year old. so, you know, you cannot,

you know, i asked too much about her being playing a role of, you know, raising human rights issues in china. but at the same time, you know, she, i think she has been used the 2 in the political system. she know she was born in the us, she's great, pretty talented. his wealthy, perfect woman. now he chose not to us, but china, her motherland. you know, this will know who was great and she wanted to return to the model and to represent the motherland. so there is absolutely this nationalistic sentiment around to her and around her image. i mean, this is so part and parcel about why she is so popular in china. yeah, and you talk about her excellence and this excellence has chosen to represent a state with human rights problems. can you connect everything we've talked about in terms of on the sports and human rights? why does human rights matter in this instance? well, ah, human life span is so bad. i mean,

crimes against humanity are happening. john, just the situation so bad. you can no longer just say, you know, this is not a politics. let's not talk about place politics. a 1000000 people are been in prison in those camps for literally been who they are, the you cannot not talk about it. right. and it is the one thing as a 2nd is that i think the chinese government is using the game as a political tool. so you cannot just tailor other people not to criticize you while you are entirely using the the game as a tool yourself. yet how long? thank you so much for joining us. thank you for having me staying with the winter olympics and in alpine gear with the hopes of a nation resting on his shoulders. iris con is india is one and only representative at the games. he told the w how a strong showing in beijing just might change his life. i'll find here, odd if con,

practice hard in that on up to the bay jingle mpeg. he's india as only hope. winter sports are not a big thing in india. but there are big, single mug in indian administered kashmir. khan started skiing that at ford. and his father runs a ski shop. he's aiming high in beijing. my a my focus is performing well and trying to be in the top assets in the world. i have to go for a big race and when i have to perform to win something that it turn change like from the rest of the life khan has had to crowd fund his travel to competitions and men lead trains abroad. his dedication has run him many fan. what struck me and still does to this day is his devotion to the sport. despite all the challenges and are at the same time his devotion to furthering this

sport of skiing in india, where it's still in its infancy. and we can see a lot of growth. india has never run into the lumping method. han have to at least be an installation to japan. now, a country where people with disabilities are still very much in invisible minority . public spaces often fail to accommodate those with mobility issues, workplaces can even segregate them from other employees. things have started to change more since the paralympic games in tokyo last year. and in the capital one shop sells items produced by those with disabilities. part of a small but growing movement to make society more inclusive, colorful hand made. and each is one of a kind this store in a trendy talk, your neighborhood sales, exclusively items made by disabled people. it's

a rarity in japan. the soap is even listed in tourist guide books and on travel websites. credit alex, good little more know their work and their products are so valuable, but they were invisible. it's like, i never used to see them before, so not up there. you should all be 9 foot mortal. got the idea for his shop after buying wooden toys made by people with intellectual disabilities that made him start asking why disabled people are largely invisible in japan society. normally they live from a small pension and aren't present in the workforce. many families even hide them at home, but foot immortal shop now give them a showcase for their skills. the, you know, i'm heavily my products on sale. you know, i want customers to be able to see my bags and scarfs for her. me go me

to she has she has worked here for many years. every one of the workshop creates according to their likes and abilities. oh no. i am making fabric voss carves and i use wool and cotton for the weaving and visit the workers. he received the equivalent of a 130 years a month. her heartbreakingly small thumb fist, caretaker mino, had tore, or more and unanimously. some people who work here for more than 30 years, they have been leaving cynthia school days over there. so experienced that i think we should refer to them as artisans room. but like many places in the world, the change of attitudes in japan could be a long way away. for now,

stereotypes prevail when it comes to people with disabilities. but in foot immortal store, at least they are valuable asset. that's it for today. be sure to check out her other stories on d dot dot com, ford slash asia, or on facebook and twitter. thanks for watching and have a good weekend to the point. strong opinions, clear positions, international perspective, half chinese leader, she ging paying and russian president vladimir putin joined forces against the west . is democracy under pressure. and how should nato and the you respond to the challenge? find out on to the point to the point d. w instead is pulling those 1st group to could have and now i'm sure that it

was as dlc so soon a dream of. so people would indicate the model in proposing what say the within but other d w books on you to have russian president vladimir putin and chinese need a she ging, paying joint forces against the west? well, certainly china has been using the winter olympics for a massive display of its political and economic might. russia meanwhile, continues to flex its muscles in the war of words over the future of ukraine. diplomatic efforts to ease the situation our in overdrive including missions to moscow and washington. so this time round on to the point where you ask protein and she against the west is democracy.