By Honorary Reporter Veronica Zuniga from Mexico
Photos = Yonhap news, BLACKPINK and JYP Entertainment's official YouTube channel  

The global popularity of K-pop carried over to the just-completed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Thousands of fans worldwide shared their joy over hearing K-pop hits at the Games.   

The following are ten K-pop acts whose songs were played in the competition. 

BTS
This K-pop sensation tops this list because its songs were heard at more than one event and several athletes loved their tracks. "Dream Glow" was heard at the practice of tennis champion Naomi Osaka, who is said to be a fan of both BTS and JHope.

"Stay Gold," a song in Japanese co-composed by BTS member Jungkook, was also played at the final of the 3-m synchronized springboard. "Butter" could be heard at a boxing match between Tsukimi Namiki of Japan and Catherine Nanziri of Uganda, and was also played during a men's volleyball match between the U.S. and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

"Dynamite" and "Butter" were also played during the synchronized swimming and boxing events. When archery wunderkind An San won her third gold medal, the group's latest track "Permission to Dance" could be heard at the venue.

(Yonhap News)

Tomorrow X Together (TXT)
"Magic," the first English-language song by this boy band, appeared early in the Olympics at a boxing match between Thailand and the U.K.

BLACKPINK 
This girl group's "Lovesick Girls" set the mood for a women's volleyball game between China and Turkey. "Boombayah" was played at the medals ceremony of the Korean women's archery team, which won its ninth straight gold. 

(Screenshot from BLACKPINK's official YouTube channel) 

Stayc 
"ASAP" helped the Korean women's volleyball team warm up more energetically for its Pool A match versus Brazil on July 25 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.

Exo
"Power" returned to the Olympics after it was performed in 2018 at the closing of the PyeongChang Winter Games in Korea. In Tokyo, Exo's song was heard at a men's volleyball match between the U.S. and the ROC.

ATEEZ
"Dreamers," a Japanese-language single included in the soundtrack of the anime "Digimon Adventure," was featured at a July 28 men's volleyball match between Canada and Iran.

Stray Kids 
"Top" was played at a women's volleyball match on July 27 between Korea and Serbia.

(Screenshot from JYP Entertainment's official YouTube channel) 

Oh My Girl 

In their Pool A game, Korea and Brazil competed in women's volleyball with "Dun Dun Dance" playing in the background when a challenge was requested.

NCT 127
Several soccer games had "Kick It" playing in the background. 

Twice
The summer track "Alcohol Free" was heard on July 26 at a men's volleyball match between the U.S. and the ROC.

kalhong617@korea.kr