These athletes took a selfie that captures the essence of the Olympic spirit

And the gold medal in diplomacy goes to... the Koreas?
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

LONDON -- It's easy to get carried away in all the excitement that inevitably accompanies the Olympic Games: the splendor of the opening ceremony, the hair-raising injuries, the cringeworthy commentary, the incredible feats of athleticism, that oily Tonga guy.

Who would have thought that a selfie would bring us back to the true spirit of the Games?

On Sunday, gymnasts Lee Eun-ju of South Korea and Hong Un-jong of North Korea posed together for a selfie during a training period -- an exceptional act because their respective countries are technically at war.


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Lee, 17, is attending her first Games, while Hong, 27 and an Olympic veteran, became North Korea's first Olympic medalist in 2008 when she took home gold in the vault.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

By placing decades of tense relations between North and South Korea aside to share a rare moment of unity and camaraderie, these two athletes truly epitomise the Olympic motto: “Placing sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind.”

Topics Olympics

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