(LEAD) (Olympics) S. Korea voices concerns about short track judging in meeting with int'l officials

▲ Hwang Dae-heon of South Korea (L) competes in the semifinals of the men's 1,000m short track speed skating event at the Beijing Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Feb. 7, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Lee Kee-heung (R) holds a video conference with officials from the International Skating Union in Beijing on Feb. 9, 2022, over an officiating controversy in short track speed skating during the Beijing Winter Olympics, in this photo provided by the KSOC. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Lee June-seo of South Korea (C) is grabbed by Wu Dajing of China (R) during the semifinals of the men's 1,000m short track speed skating race at the Beijing Winter Olympics at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Feb. 7, 2022. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) (Olympics) S Korea-short track refereeing

(LEAD) (Olympics) S. Korea voices concerns about short track judging in meeting with int'l officials

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By Yoo Jee-ho

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean leaders at Beijing 2022 met virtually with senior international skating officials Wednesday to express their concerns about the state of refereeing in short track speed skating.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Lee Kee-heung, its president and a member of the International Olympic Committee, and Yoon Hong-geun, head of the athletic mission and of the Korea Skating Union, held a video conference behind closed doors with International Skating Union (ISU) President Jan Dijkema. Hugo Hernhof, ISU event director for short track speed skating, was also part of the meeting.

The video conference took place two days after two South Korean short trackers, Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo, were disqualified from the men's 1,000m semifinals on what South Korea felt were questionable decisions.

The KSOC immediately protested the decision on Hwang, but the ISU promptly rejected it Tuesday, on the grounds that disqualification resulting from rules violations cannot be challenged. The KSOC said it will take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the top global sports tribunal.

According to the KSOC, Lee and Yoon stressed they felt the referee's decisions in Monday's races were biased against South Korean athletes. The two added they feared unfair and inaccurate officiating could damage the honor and integrity of the ISU and also have an adverse effect on trust between the South Korean delegation and the ISU.

The two also asked the ISU to ensure there will be no recurrence of similar situations and that they will keep a close eye on officiating in future races, starting with Wednesday night's action.

The ISU officials responded their position on the issue hasn't changed from Tuesday and that the organization is striving for fairness in officiating, according to the KSOC.

The KSOC said Hungarian Olympic Committee President Zsolt Gyulay offered to cooperate with South Korea in a fight against biased officiating.

In the men's 1,000m final Monday, a Hungarian skater, Shaolin Sandor Liu, received a yellow card on two penalties and was stripped of the gold medal despite crossing the line first and being dragged down by the eventual champion from China, Ren Ziwei.

The KSOC said Gyulay approached Lee at Capital Indoor Stadium, the short track venue during Beijing 2022, after learning of his South Korean counterpart's meeting with the ISU. According to the KSOC, Gyulay told Lee he agreed with the prevailing South Korean view that Monday's refereeing had been unfair.

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