South Korea's top athlete calls for a rerun of 3000m race.Netizens were dissatisfied with the punishment and boycotted Australian goods.
The South Korea fail to win the gold because of illegality in the women's 3,000-meter short track relay final at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. This event remains controverisal. One of South Korea's top athletes, Jin Wenting, said yesterday she could not accept the result of the foul and called for a rematch. Meanwhile, protests in South Korea have also been strong, even with some netizens calling for a boycott of Australian products.
Sun Linlin, the athletes from China, was overtaken by Jin Wenting from South Korea with six laps to go in the women's 3,000m short track speed skating relay final on February 25, Beijing time. The South Korean skater took the lead and kept it until she finally hit the line. But the Chinese coach later complained and the judges ruled that the South Koreans had committed a foul in this process. The first result was disqualified and the second Chinese team was awarded the gold. China's victory ended South Korea's dream of a fourth consecutive relay title.
Speaking to reporters after yesterday's pre-race training, South Korea's Jin Wenting said she could not accept the relay's final penalty and hoped for a rematch. "I wish we could have a rematch. I couldn't even sleep after the game last night." Jin also said she did not foul the Chinese players during the competition "I don't think I made any mistakes in the match. I didn't block or cross cut. Because of my foul call, the team lost its fifth consecutive relay title. I am very sorry."
As a matter of fact, when the South Korea team was sentenced to foul and lost a gold medal, the coach of the South Korean team Cui Guangfu expressed his discontentment with the enforcement of the game's Australian referee Jimmy huey, and pointed out that the same is what huey at the 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City the adverse decision made in South Korea. At that time, in the men's 1500 meters final, South Korea's Jin Dongsheng was disqualified for first place after being found guilty of a cross-cutting offence and the gold medal was awarded to American Apolo
"I was very unsatisfied with the referee," Cui said. "He just walked away without speaking to me after I raised a different opinion." "I told the athletes before the race to be careful with their skis because Huisch was in charge." "Mr. Cui said. When asked if the refereeing was deliberately targeting South Korea, Cui said: "No comment."
In contrast to the relatively mild expression of discontent by South Korean coaches and players, the shock of the gold penalty was obviously much bigger in South Korea. Internet users and sports fans in South Korea have expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing, with some calling for a boycott of Australian goods sold in the country, according to the Yonhap news agency. In their view, the Australian referee who officiated the match was responsible for the loss of the gold medal.
At the 2002 winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, after Jin Dongsheng's gold medal was awarded to Apollo, the south Korean delegation had threatened to boycott the winter Olympics, and the Apollo himself has been regarded as the south Korean's public enemies. At that time, he hands up to hint the referee in the game to show Jin Dongsheng's foul action, then it was regarded by many south Korean media as "Hollywood". (Hong Jing)(Jinan Times)
