Descriptions of Asian Olympians' bodies are part of trend of dehumanizing Asians in U.S.

In 2010, the figure skating coach Frank Carroll, who has coached Asian American Olympians such as Michelle Kwan and Mirai Nagasu, said that skaters of Asian descent had found success on the ice because their bodies are “often small and willowy.” .

Rachael Joo, an associate professor of American studies at Middlebury College and the author of “Transnational Sport: Gender, Media and Global Korea” told NBC Asian America that the representation of Asian American athletes hasn’t changed much over the years.

Asian Americans first made an impact in Olympic sports when Victoria Manalo Draves, who was called the Olympics’ “prettiest champion” by Life magazine, won a gold medal in platform and springboard diving at the 1948 games, becoming the first Asian American to earn gold.

Two days after Draves’ wins, Sammy Lee became the first Asian American man to earn an Olympic gold medal, winning in platform diving; he repeated in 1952.

During Kwan’s first Olympic Games, in 1998, Washington Post writer Amy Shipley said the then-18-year-old skater “looks delicate and graceful enough to put on the top of a Christmas tree.”  

In 2010, NBC News’ Ian Williams was reporting on South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim when he said that "Asian skaters, particularly from Japan and now Korea, have the edge, their smaller frames enabling them to spin faster and jump higher.”

As Asian American athletes prepare to compete in the Tokyo Olympics — including Sunisa Lee, who will be the first Hmong American Olympic gymnast; swimmer Torri Huske'; USA Karate’s Sakura Kokumai; and artistic gymnast Yul Moldauer — many Olympic watchers are hoping reporters will avoid cringeworthy clichés and racist stereotypes

“There’s always going to be discussion of bodies, but I think the problem is when there aren’t female athletes doing the commentary,” Joo said