Choi Yong-koo, an international referee of the International Skating Union (ISU), who protested the biased decision of the short track speed track at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was notified of his disqualification from the ISU.
Today (28th), referee Choi appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ and said, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset because I’m a human too, but I was prepared for the Olympics and held a press conference.”
Referee Choi said, “Not only did our athletes suffer damage, but there were other problems at the beginning of the game, so I think that some Olympics really did not make such a decision to promote a certain country. “No. I just held the press conference for that one thing.”
He said, “A referee can’t discuss the judgement of any competition in this way or that in any competition.
He added, “Afterwards, our players are satisfied because the results were good.”
Referee Choi said, “I hate to say that I have to accept the referee because it is a part of the match.
Previously, in February, referee Choi participated in the Beijing Olympics as the short track Korean national team support team leader, and held an emergency press conference with Yoon Hong-geun, head of the national team, after Korean athletes were eliminated in the men’s 1000m short track semifinal due to bias.
At the time, he said, “This referee’s decision could be intentional beyond a wrong decision.”
He then raised the issue by referring to the match situation, the rules of the ISU, and the referee’s decision one after another.
The ISU, which strictly prohibits international referees from representing certain countries, deliberated through the Technical Committee on the public remarks of Referee Choi Yong-koo and decided to disqualify the international referee. As a result, the number of ISU judges in Korea has been reduced from three to two.
