Appeal to the Olympic Committee, Demand Justice for the Athletes

Appeal to the Olympic Committee, Demand Justice for the Athletes
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 19, 2010

In the international arena, the Republic of China has long been forced to suffer in silence. This is equally true in international sports competition, especially Taekwondo matches. Recently our own Asian Games competitor Yang Shu-chun racked up nine wins and no losses in the first round of competition. At this point, the referee suddenly "disqualified" her. This unprecedented move left people in shocked disbelief. The government has decided that it must appeal to the International Court of Arbitration. It intends to keep a close eye on the case. We must be given a satisfactory explanation. We must demand accountability. Otherwise, citizens of the ROC will not be mollified.

When Yang Shu-chun heard the referee rule that she had lost during the Beijing Olympics, she sat on the floor and wept. She was not the only one who found the ruling unacceptable. Every citizen who watched the match on TV found it unacceptable. The reason was simple. When Yang Shu-chun entered the arena for pre-game inspection, the committee asked her to change her electronic socks. She changed them, and after undergoing a second inspection, including one by the chief examiner, no further mention was made of a problem with the electronic socks. If the socks were a problem, she would have changed them. But the referee refused to listen to objections, and summarily disqualified her. In which case, just exactly what did the previous inspector and chief examiner inspect and examine?

According to the Asian Taekwondo Union, Yang Shu-chun's electronic socks had an extra sensor at the heels. Again, if they really had an extra sensor, why was the problem not mentioned during the pre-game inspection? Why was it discovered only after the match began? The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) later claimed that the sensor was installed in an illegal location by Yang Shu-chun after she entered the arena. How strange is that? She was subjected to two inspections, yet nothing was found. If Yang installed the sensor after entering the arena, why did no one see her do it? Why was she disqualified only after the match had already begun?

By an unfortunate coincidence, the referee was again Korean. After the incident happened, netizens lashed out online. Some even launched a movement to boycott Korean films and Korean goods. Some posted videos on YouTube of Korean kimchee being dumped. South Korea's "patriotic referees" are internationally renowned. This is not the first time ROC athletes have been victimized by Korean referees. Japanese athletes have also been subjected to the same treatment. But was the current incident merely an arbitrary "act of patriotism" by a South Korea referee? The public is furious, but it must remain calm, First, the electronic socks Yang Shu-chun wore were Korean made. If anything should be disqualified, it should be Korean merchandise. Secondly, no Korean athletes were competing in Yang Shu-chun's class. Whether Yang Shu-chun took the gold medal had nothing to do with whether South Korea would bask in glory. The Korean referee had no reason to hand down an unfair ruling. If his decision was wrong, the WTF or the Asian Games must investigate thoroughly. If he made a mistake, the problem is his lack of professionalism.

Because South Korea did not participate, netizen rage has been directed at Mainland China. Netizens have blamed the incident on the Mainland athletes who hoped to win the gold medal, whose most likely opponent was Yang Shu-chun. This anger is also unnecessary. Win or lose, Mainland Chinese friendship with Korea, however deep, can never be deeper than cross-Strait relations. The Korean referee has absolutely no reason to make such a counter-intuitive ruling on behalf of Mainland athletes. We now know that the Referee Committee initially intended to suspend the entire ROC taekwondo team, but the Mainland rebuffed it out of hand. Instead, members of the media from the two sides of the Strait began bickering, leaving everyone dumbfounded, Mainland reporters scolded reporters from Taiwan. Their conduct was outrageous. Taiwan reporters responded angrily with "You're talking shit!" Their behavior was equally inappropriate. Lest we forget, this was an international forum. Regardless of one's occupation or status, one's words and deeds are those of Republic of China citizens.

Others angrily scolded the Ma administration as weak and incompetent. In fact Sports Commission Chairman Dai Chia-ling, who was on the scene at the time, immediately lodged a vehement protest. He demanded that the Asian Taekwondo Union investigate the incident. If any mistakes were made, she insisted, the union would have to assume full responsibility. If a satisfactory accounting was not forthcoming, she said, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee would appeal to the International Court of Arbitration. It would demand that the International Olympic Committee see that justice was done. Premier Wu Den-yih also issued a strongly worded statement. He ordered Dai Chia-ling to present the strongest case possible, and safeguard our national dignity. We must not allow our athletes to wronged, he said. "We must not swallow this indignity!"

Premier Wu voiced intense ROC objections. In fact he was already pointing the finger and naming names. Premier Wu was blasting Sports Affairs Council Vice Chairman Chen Hsien-chung, whose initial behavior was highly disingenuous. The SAC is supposed to serve the athletes. The SAC failed to provide a good environment for the training of athletes. This is reason enough for it to be ashamed. Who knew Chen would say something so outrageous as "When athletes encounter such unjust rulings, they have no choice but to swallow them." He failed to consider the hard work the athletes put in. He even failed to consider the plight of his own comrades on the front line. Even as the chairman was lodging a protest with the committee, and the athletes were weeping in the arena, the Vice Chairman was telling the athletes they had no choice but to passively accept unjust rulings. No wonder he provoked such universal outrage.

You might kill me, but you may not insult me. ROC citizens have thrown their full support behind Yang Shu-chun. SAC members must grow spines. It is not enough to demand that the Asian Taekwondo Union offer us a satisfactory explanation. We must appeal the International Olympic Committee. The fairness of the Asian Taekwondo Union has repeatedly been called into question. Only with sufficient international pressure, can we ensure good sportsmanship, and establish fair and equitable rules of the game. Only such a sporting event makes sense. Only such a sporting event can win public respect.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2010.11.19
一定要上告奧會 替選手討回公道
本報訊

　台灣在國際場合遭打壓吃憋是常有的事，國際競賽場上也不例外，跆拳道比賽更是時有所聞，但日前我亞運選手楊淑君在上場第一回合已經打下九比零成績之際，竟遭裁判以「失格」判輸，卻是前所未有的情況，真是令人錯愕！政府決定上訴國際仲裁法庭絕對是必要之舉，而且要緊盯進度，一定要有個說法和交代，否則，無法讓國人氣平。

　北京奧運敗下陣來的楊淑君，在知道裁判判決後，痛哭孤坐在賽場上，不但她無法接受，在螢光幕前看到那一幕的國人都無法接受。原因很簡單，楊淑君進場比賽前檢錄時，大會要她換一雙電子襪，她換了，經過再次檢錄，以及主審檢查，都沒提出她所穿的電子襪有任何問題，卻在開賽一分鐘後叫停，如果還有問題，換一雙也可以，裁判卻不待異議，直接判她失格？那麼之前檢查員和主審到底審查了什麼？

　亞跆盟的說法，楊淑君所穿電子襪的腳後跟，多了一個墊片；同樣的，如果真多了了墊片，事前檢查不出來嗎？怎麼可能開賽才發覺？世跆總後來的說法又指，後腳跟的貼片是楊淑君進場後才自行貼在違規的地方，這不是很奇怪嗎？整個比賽經過兩次檢錄，都沒發現嗎？就算楊進場才貼，都沒人看到嗎？怎麼會都開賽了才判定失格？

　這次事件的裁判，不巧又是韓裔，事發後，在網路上又引起一陣撻伐，甚至有人發起拒看韓片、拒買韓貨運動，還有人在 youtube上ｐｏ網，丟掉韓國泡菜。韓國的「愛國裁判」，在國際間早已聲名遠播，台灣吃韓國裁判的虧不是第一遭，連日本選手都曾經遭到類似待遇，但是，這次事件，是否這麼簡單歸類為韓國裁判莫名其妙的「愛國舉動」，民眾激憤之餘也得冷靜，第一，楊淑君這次穿的電子襪就是韓貨，若有「失格」，正是韓貨「失格」；第二，楊淑君這個量級的競賽，根本沒有韓籍選手參與，楊淑君不論拿不拿金牌，與韓國的榮耀無關，這位韓裔裁判沒道理因此故做錯誤判決，他的判決是否有誤，世跆總或亞運大會得調查清楚，如有錯誤，是他的專業有問題。

　因為韓國沒參賽，網民激憤之餘又把矛頭對準中國大陸，把事故怪在大陸選手想拿金牌，最可能的對手就是楊淑君，這股氣實在也沒必要。輸贏場上見真章，中、韓友誼再深，深不過兩岸關係，這位韓裔裁判完全沒有道理為大陸選手，做出違反常理的事。事實證明，裁判委員會本來要裁定台灣跆拳道隊全部停賽，大陸方面一口回絕。反而是兩岸採訪媒體在記者會起口角，讓大家傻眼，大陸記者追著台灣記者罵人，實在很離譜，但台灣記者氣憤中一句「講什麼屁話」，同樣也不妥，不要忘記，那還是一個國際場合，不論什麼職業或身分，言行進退都代表台灣人。

　還有人怒而痛罵馬政府軟弱無能，事實上，人在現場的體委會主委戴遐齡，於第一時間就提出強烈抗議，要求亞跆盟必須對此一事件展開調查，如果有誤必須負起完全責任，若無法給一個交代，體委會將委請中華奧會上告國際仲裁法庭，請國際奧會還我們一個公道。行政院長吳敦義更發表措詞強硬的聲明，要求戴遐齡據理力爭，維護國家尊嚴，絕對不能讓選手白白受此委屈，「沒有吞下去這回事！」

　吳揆之言，表達台灣嚴正立場外，其實已經點名罵人了，吳揆罵的正是在第一時間極端白目的體委會副主委陳顯宗。體委會是為選手服務的，體委會不能為選手創造好的訓練培養環境，已經要自覺羞愧，沒想到竟講得出「選手碰上這種事，要自己吞下去」的話！他既未顧慮選手的辛苦，甚至也沒考慮自己的主官在前線打仗，主委前腳向大會提出抗議，選手還在場上痛哭，副主委後腳卻要選手吞下這口氣，難怪激起公憤。

　士可殺，不可辱！國人要給楊淑君充分的支持，體委會更要拿出主管機關的肩膀和骨氣，追著亞跆盟給一個說法還不夠，一定要上告國際奧會，只有施加足夠的國際壓力，才能讓公平性屢遭質疑的亞跆盟，遵循運動精神，建立公平、公正的遊戲規則，這樣的運動賽事才有意義，才能得到世人的尊敬。