(Olympics) Short tracker has no regret over comments on officiating

▲ This Feb. 1, 2022, file photo shows South Korean short track speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy during a training session ahead of Beijing 2022 at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Feb. 2, 2022, South Korean short track speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy (R) leads teammate Kim Dong-wook during a training session ahead of Beijing 2022 at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. (Yonhap)

(Olympics) short tracker-refereeing

(Olympics) Short tracker has no regret over comments on officiating

By Yoo Jee-ho

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- His words may have set off a firestorm of controversy at Beijing 2022, but South Korean short track speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy said Thursday he does not regret questioning the state of officiating over the weekend.

Following a training session Sunday, some 24 hours after China grabbed gold in the mixed team relay, Kwak, unprompted, told South Korean media he thought the host country had benefitted from biased judging.

Kwak also openly questioned whether another country in the same situation would have received similarly favorable calls.

Then on the following day, two of Kwak's teammates, Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo, were disqualified from the men's 1,000m semifinals on what many South Koreans felt were unfair decisions. South Korea plans to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In a scrum with reporters after Thursday's training session at Capital Indoor Stadium, Kwak said there are a lot of others who feel the same way about officiating as he does.

"I was just expressing my thoughts," Kwak said. "I don't regret saying those things."

At the same time, Kwak said it will be important for him to maintain his composure once he's on the ice.

And he will make his first appearance in Beijing on Friday in the semifinals of the 5,000m relay. Kwak finished fourth among five Beijing-bound skaters in the national Olympic trials last year and is thus only eligible for the relay.

"You never know what kind of calls you will get in relays," Kwak said. "I can't get too carried away about my races. I have to keep a cool head."

Kwak is competing in his third Olympics, and he has already said this will be his final Winter Games.

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