PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — To say the Winter Olympics are not racially diverse is like noting the weather in Pyeongchang is cold. This is not surprising.
The Winter Games have deep Scandinavian roots, and draw athletes from the colder, predominantly white — and often wealthy — regions of the United States, Germany and Austria.
But looking across social media as the Games pick up, some of the biggest stars have been an unexpectedly diverse group.
With viral videos, trending topics and plenty of gifs, the internet has crowned some of the early fan favorites as the American speedskater Maame Biney, the Jamaican women’s bobsled team and, adding to momentum they built up long before the opening ceremony Friday, the Nigerian women’s bobsled team (not to mention the shirtless Tongan competing improbably as a cross-country skier after flaming out in taekwondo at the 2016 Summer Olympics.