At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, International Skating Union (ISU) International Referee Choi Yong-gu was notified of his disqualification after Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Government) was eliminated in the men’s 1000m short track semifinal due to bias.
On the 26th, an official of the Korea Skating Federation said, “The ISU notified that the qualification of the international referee Choi Yong-gu was canceled on the 8th.” Previously, referee Choi participated in the Beijing Olympics as the short track Korean national team support team leader. After Hwang Dae-heon and Lee Jun-seo (Korea National University) were eliminated in the men’s 1000m short track short track semifinal due to bias, he held an emergency press conference with the national team leader Yoon Hong-geun and remarked his convictions. In response to the disqualification decision, which is difficult to understand, referee Choi said, “It is an obvious mistake, and one mistake is enough. If it’s more than once, it’s not coming any more.” He said, “This referee’s decision may be intentional.”
As the ISU prohibits international referees from representing a specific country, the ISU Technical Committee deliberated on Choi’s public remarks and ultimately imposed a disciplinary action against the international referee’s qualifications. Meanwhile, the match referee, who was at the center of the suspicion of bias, did not receive any disciplinary action. Shim Ye-seop
