8 K-Pop Boy Group MV’s Ready To Compete In This Year’s Olympic Games
As the Tokyo Olympics 2020 approach their final week, let’s take a look at what K-Pop music videos are “Olympic ready”. This means that the MV features one or more potential Olympic sports.
1. Baseball: Pentagon “Humph!”
This lighthearted track from Pentagon has a combination of school days imagery and baseball fun. The main look associated with this era for Pentagon was their baseball uniforms.
Throughout the video, the boys are seen playing baseball in a pastel stadium. While the stands may be empty, the energy is high.
To play baseball at the Olympics, “two teams of nine players seek to score the most runs by striking a ball and running around a sequence of bases.”
Pentagon may be playing against themselves here but with Hui at bat (both in the video and as their leader) they’re sure to score big.
2. Basketball: iKON “Rhythm Ta”
In their debut Music Video, iKON went with a sporty look to fit their hip-hop image.
The group appears on a basketball court and in the locker rooms for the majority of the video with matching basketball jerseys as the costuming.
For the Olympics, basketball is defined as “two teams of five players” who are “looking to score by shooting the ball into a basket.”
While iKON may have been a team of seven at the time of this video, the basketball skills they show off, as well as their swagger surely qualify them for a spot on this K-Pop Olympic roster.
3. BMX: Stray Kids “My Pace”
This inspirational song from Stray Kids has a very Olympic message to its lyrics. The boys sing about trying to stop comparing themselves to others and the need to focus on their own goals instead.
This may be why the video is set in a BMX setting. The members are surrounded by impressive athletes on many different types of wheels.
BMX racing is a more recent addition to the olympic program as it was added in 2008 at Beijing. It is a thrilling race on specially designed bikes over a complex course. Riders go over hills at high speed and bank sharp turns to complete the competition.
While Stray Kids may not have directly participated in the Olympic sport this time, with their level of athleticism, we fully expect they’ll show their stuff in another video down the line.
4. Boxing: BTOB “Way Back Home”
This emotional video plays out like a K-Drama with BTOB as the lead actors. It tells the story of a poor kid who sees fighting as his way to survive and almost loses his life because of it.
This fighting manifest itself into the specific style of boxing. Many scenes in this video take place in the gym where training as well as sparring can be seen.
The Olympics define boxing as “Two athletes square up to each other in a ring, and victory is gained by the athlete who more successfully lands blows to their opponent’s head and torso.”
With all the drama this video brings, it may be best that BTOB left the level of boxing at casual sparring. They already beat up our hearts!
5. Equestrian: Super Junior-D&E “B.A.D”
This comeback from Super Junior subunit D&E showed off the boys dance skills and had them flexing how “B.A.D bad bad” they were. But in between all that performance skill, did you notice the horses?
While it may seem a bit out of place, not only did the thumbnail for the MV feature these equine creatures, but the first third of the music video frequently cut back to Donghae and Eunhyuk atop these horses in a grand room.
To participate in Equestrian events for the Olympics there are three key parts: Dressage, Jumping, and Eventing. Dressage is the artistic section and Jumping is the athletic section. Eventing, however, is described by the Olympics as “an equestrian triathlon.”
D&E could qualify at most for Dressage from this video. However, D&E are planning a comeback later this year so we can’t help but hope these horses make an appearance again to round out the Equestrian categories.
6. Martial Arts: NCT 127 “Kick It”
Inspired by martial arts master Bruce Lee, NCT 127‘s “Kick It” pulls inspiration from multiple fighting styles for its choreography.
Not only does the song feature a fighting bravado, but the MV features many shots of different styles of martial arts.
There are many types of martial arts shown in the MV but the most clear is karate. Karate has been a part of the Olympic games since 1920. The Olympics describe it as “predominantly a striking, kicking and punching art.”
The boys also flexed more of their martial arts prowess in their follow up song “Punch”. NCT continues to impress us with their skills in dance and fighting!
7. Tennis: Super Junior “SUPER Clap”
For this first full group comeback since the members had begun entering the military, Super Junior went all out with multiple major sets.
One of the more memorable sets was that of the Tennis court where members Siwon and Tennis-ball hair Eunhyuk played a round to the beat of the song.
Tennis at an Olympic level can be played multiple ways. The competition allows for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. The basics of the game involving hitting a small ball over a net with a racket.
Although Siwon and Eunhyuk may meet the basic qualifications to play singles tennis, we’re not so sure Siwon super powered Tennis swing will be allowed on the Olympic court anytime soon!
8. Volleyball: Golden Child “Breathe”
In Golden Child‘s most recent MV for their song “Breathe” the boys find themselves on the volleyball court, learning how to work together.
This MV shows the strength and team building that can come from playing sports like volleyball. It also lets the boys show off their athleticism.
In Olympic volleyball , teams are “allowed up to 12 players, but only 6 play on court.” The game is based around serving a ball over a net and “teams are allowed to touch the ball three times before it must cross over the net into the opponent’s court.”
Golden Child plays the game with accuracy and even wins in the end. Not only could they compete in the Olympics, but they might also bring that “gold” to Golden Child.
Which of these Olympic MVs was your favorite? Did we miss any sports that you think should’ve been here? Let us know!
