Shim Seok-hee’s legal response, the Olympics, and chemistry [김윤일의 역주행]

Short track speed skater Shim Suk-hee, who was removed from the national team due to controversy over abusive language towards colleagues and coaches, revealed her will to compete in the Olympics.

On the 3rd, Shim Seok-hee’s side filed an injunction with the Seoul Eastern District Court for the suspension of the effect of the ‘2 months suspension of player qualifications’. Previously, Shim Seok-hee was given the same disciplinary action by the Korea Skating Federation last month, and her participation in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to be held next month was canceled.

In October of last year, Shim Suk-hee caused a big stir when a cell phone message he shared with the coach of the national team was released. The content of the message contained severe abusive language and gossip towards other teammates as well as interfering with medal acquisition by deliberately knocking down Choi Min-jung, a teammate at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Then, the Ice Skating Federation immediately set up an investigation committee to find out the truth, and the Sports Fair Committee issued a disciplinary action against the national team’s qualifications based on the results of the investigation.

Shim Seok-hee does not seem to accept disciplinary action. In response, Shim Suk-hee’s side applied for an injunction to suspend the disciplinary effect, which could make a decision to nullify the disciplinary action, instead of abandoning the retrial by the Fair Trade Commission of the Korea Sports Association.

Time is not on Shim Suk-hee’s side, as the Olympics are just around the corner and the final entry submission deadline for the short track team is until the 24th of this month. Even if the court’s application for injunction is cited, there is another wall. You must overcome the threshold of the Performance Improvement Committee, which makes the final decision on the selection of representative players.

Shim Seok-hee applied for an injunction to suspend the disciplinary effect with the court. ⓒ Newsis

In fact, since Shim Suk-hee’s message conversation is a private area, there has been a controversy over whether the disqualification of the national team is justifiable.

The Fair Trade Commission, which issued a disciplinary action against this, also said, “I was concerned about the fact that the message leak process was not legal. However, since Shim Suk-hee admitted the act and it became a public debate, there is no choice but to punish him.”

Still, what is the reason for Shim Seok-hee’s desire to recover her national team qualifications? It may be Shim Suk-hee’s wish to reveal that the punishment was excessive in court, and to restore her reputation.

But even after returning to the national team after twists and turns, another problem arises. It is a relationship with colleagues who have to eat rice in one pot throughout the Olympics.

In particular, Choi Min-jung, who was ‘snipped’ by Shim Suk-hee, sent an official letter to the Ice Skating Federation and the Korea Sports Council as soon as the controversy broke out, expressing displeasure, such as asking them to clarify all the allegations.

The Olympic Short Track is a relay event in which athletes run with one mind. In particular, the women’s team is the world’s strongest team, winning six gold medals in the Olympics alone. I wonder if Shim Suk-hee will be able to run a proper race if he joins. Even if you don’t go to the relay, you have to face discomfort in individual events.

The Winter Olympics are expected to be more intense than ever before in China, the host country. Above all, China’s short track speed has grown to the point where it threatens Korea, and it has a strong will to sweep all sports in this event.

What if Shim Seok-hee returns to the national team in this situation? Even if they become one, it doesn’t look any different from jumping into an enemy territory with the spark of conflict in a situation where it is not easy to shake off China’s fierce challenge.

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