'Bikini + exhibitionism hate comments' overcome by Shin Ji-eun, who made a firm statement on "stylish outfits," stirring up Japan... Portals topped all day with "It's not exposure, it's style."

*This content was translated by AI.

When Shin Ji-eun (25), a South Korean beach volleyball national team player, spoke out about the hardships of niche sports and hate comments, Japan also took notice.

Japan's 'Tokyo Sports' reported on the 23rd that "South Korean beach volleyball national team player Shin Ji-eun revealed the excessive slander directed at her bikini competition uniform and the hardships of being in a niche sport."

Interest from local Japanese fans toward Shin Ji-eun is also intense. The article rose to the top of the 'Most Viewed Articles' ranking on Yahoo Japan's sports news section early that morning and remained in the upper ranks throughout the afternoon, generating major buzz all day long.

The outlet detailed Shin Ji-eun's recent reflections shared during her appearance on the Korean variety program 'Ask Me Anything.'

Shin Ji-eun stated, "There is no rule requiring beach volleyball players to wear bikinis; it is a choice made by the athletes themselves," and expressed her conviction that "bikinis are a tradition of the sport and stylish outfits." However, she also revealed that "some netizens post insulting hate comments such as 'Are you suffering from exhibitionism?' or 'You look like a bar girl.'"

She also mentioned the poor training environment she had to endure due to the nature of niche sports. Shin Ji-eun explained, "Each time we compete in overseas tournaments, it costs about 6 million to 7 million won, but since it is difficult to secure sponsors, I raised expenses directly by working part-time jobs such as a sports instructor." She then recalled the painful past where she even considered retirement due to frequent partner changes.

During her school days, Shin Ji-eun played as an outside hitter in indoor volleyball. She submitted an application for the professional V-League women's rookie draft but switched to beach volleyball just before the draft took place. Since then, starting with the 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Daegu tournament and continuing through the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, she has become known to the public. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she even served as a beach volleyball commentator.

The outlet added that "Shin Ji-eun continues her athletic career steadfastly despite numerous difficulties" and noted that "she recently became a hot topic on social media (SNS) and has even secured sponsors." It further highlighted that "she is quietly preparing for upcoming tournaments without yielding to hate comments or harsh environments."

Shin Ji-eun is currently competing at the 2026 Nagoya-Aichi Asian Games. The Shin Ji-eun-Kim Jeong-a duo defeated Malaysia (Ko Yoo-heuk-Rachel Yuji) in the Group D second match of the group stage held on the 20th at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Japan, with a set score of 2-1 (21-23, 21-15, 18-16).

It was a thrilling comeback victory achieved after a close match. They lost the first set 21-23 after a tough defensive battle, but in the second set, their spikes and receives came alive, turning the game around to win 21-15. In the final third set, they maintained their focus until the end and finished the match 18-16. After losing their first match against Thailand, Shin Ji-eun-Kim Jeong-a secured a valuable victory and currently hold a group stage record of one win and one loss.

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*This content was translated by AI.