Agency :
South Korea will launch an inquiry into sexual and other abuses in the nation’s scandal-ridden sports community, the government said Friday, as the sports minister called for an end to its “win-at-all-costs” mentality.
Double Olympic short track gold medallist Shim Suk-hee earlier this month went public with accusations her former coach molested her multiple times, prompting several other victims to come forward.
South Korea is a regional sporting power and regularly in the top 10 medal table places at the summer and winter Olympics.
But in an already intensely competitive society, winning is virtually everything in its sports community and coaches hold immense power over athletes’ careers — intimidating victims from coming forward.
“I want to apologise to athletes, their families and citizens in South Korea for not preventing such incidents of abuse,” said sports minister Do Jong-hwan.
“With this probe, we need to walk away from the winning-at-all-costs philosophy,” he told reporters. “We can no longer push athletes into a fierce competition system under the name of national pride.”
South Korea will launch an inquiry into sexual and other abuses in the nation’s scandal-ridden sports community, the government said Friday, as the sports minister called for an end to its “win-at-all-costs” mentality.
Double Olympic short track gold medallist Shim Suk-hee earlier this month went public with accusations her former coach molested her multiple times, prompting several other victims to come forward.
South Korea is a regional sporting power and regularly in the top 10 medal table places at the summer and winter Olympics.
But in an already intensely competitive society, winning is virtually everything in its sports community and coaches hold immense power over athletes’ careers — intimidating victims from coming forward.
“I want to apologise to athletes, their families and citizens in South Korea for not preventing such incidents of abuse,” said sports minister Do Jong-hwan.
“With this probe, we need to walk away from the winning-at-all-costs philosophy,” he told reporters. “We can no longer push athletes into a fierce competition system under the name of national pride.”
