Which K-pop songs have been played at the Tokyo Olympics? BTS fan Kang Chae-young got Blackpink’s Boombayah instead – but Butter and Dynamite are on the pump-up playlist

Aug 4 , 2021

BTS’ recent single Butter made a surprise appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, much to the excitement of K-pop fans the world over. Photo: Handout

South Korean archer Kang Chae-young’s request for a BTS song was denied – but Butter and Dynamite were spun before archery, boxing and rugby events

Blackpink’s Lovesick Girls was blasted before the women’s volleyball, and K-pop fans have counted tracks by Exo, NCT 127, Seventeen, Twice, Itzy and Oh My Girl

K-pop anthems have made a notable presence at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with a plethora of Korean bangers being played during the games to pump up the mood – despite the lack of live spectators.

More than 10 K-pop acts – including BTS, Blackpink, Exo, NCT 127, Seventeen, Ateez, Itzy and Oh My Girl – have been heard during the world’s biggest sporting event since its opening on July 23, furthering the international K-pop invasion and helping Korea boost its global soft power.

BTS are picking up even more fans thanks to its music being feature in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: Handout

Global sensation BTS’ 2020 smash hit Dynamite – the septet’s first song to conquer the Billboard Hot 100 chart – was featured during the archery mixed team event on July 24, where Korean archers An San and Kim Je-deok clinched a berth in the quarter finals after defeating Diya Siddique and Md Ruman Shana of Bangladesh.

Gold medal winners South Korea’s An San, right, and South Korea’s Kim Je-deok, celebrate during their mixed team final competition against Netherlands at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on July 24, in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: AP Photo

Another new anthem by the seven-piece act, Butter, was also the background music for the women’s boxing match between Uganda and Japan on July 25. The upbeat number was repeated during a rugby game between South Korea and New Zealand on July 26.

Girl group Blackpink’s Lovesick Girls, the lead track off the quartet’s first full-length album released last year, was played during the women’s volleyball match between Turkey and China on July 25. Meanwhile Oh My Girls’s May release Dun Dun Dance moved air during Team Korea’s volleyball games with Japan and Brazil, which took place on July 31 and July 25, respectively.

Blackpink’s Lovesick Girls soundtracked the women’s volleyball match between Turkey and China on July 25. Photo: @blackpinkofficial/Instagram

In addition, many other tracks such as Exo’s Don’t Fight the Feeling, Winner’s Really Really, Seventeen’s Very Nice, Itzy’s Don’t Give a What, Tomorrow X Together (TXT)’s Magic and Twice’s Feel Special were included in the Olympics playlist.