He Bingjiao of China was spotted holding a Spanish pin when she received the women's singles badminton silver medal on the podium at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris on Monday.

"This pin was given to me by Team Spain," He explained at the press conference. "My opponent in the semifinals, Carolina Marin, had to pull out of the match because of injury. I feel sympathetic because Marin is an outstanding athlete and opponent. I wanted to take her spirit with me to the final. I wish her a quick recovery."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) posted the photo of He on the podium on its Instagram account and praised her act.

"He Bingjiao held the Team Spain pin during her medal ceremony in support for Carolina Marin, who suffered a knee injury yesterday in the semifinals," the IOC wrote.

"I wished He Bingjiao all the best in the final, because sportsmanship was above all else," Marin said in a statement on Tuesday. "But the moment on the podium is one of the loveliest gestures anyone has ever made to me and I will always be incredibly grateful to her."

Marin won the first game 21-14 and led 10-5 in the second in the semifinals. However, she landed awkwardly on her right knee after an overhead smash. Though she tried to continue after strapping on a knee brace, she soon realized that she wasn't able to play on and had to withdraw.

Marin was shedding tears of both disappointment and pain when her coach arrived. He headed over to check on her opponent as well when the crowd applauded the Spaniard.

The gold medalist An Se-young of South Korea had been haunted by knee injury and sent her wishes for Marin.

"Marin is a great athlete and a legend," An said. "I've learnt a lot from her. I feel so sad that she couldn't continue to play. I want to play her again on the court."