Fury over Viktor Ahn's 'Russian' gold aimed at Korean Skating Union
The Olympic victory of a Korean speed skater competing for Russia has triggered outrage in South Korea, where the government announced an inquiry into the national skating body on Monday.
The website of the Korean Skating Union (KSU) crashed on Sunday under the volume of furious messages blaming its officials for the "defection" of Ahn Hyun-soo to the Russian team.
Ahn had become a sporting hero in South Korea after winning three golds at the 2006 Winter Games. However, beset by injury problems and after falling out with South Korean skating officials, he fast-tracked Russian citizenship in 2011, took the name Viktor Ahn, and competed at Sochi as a Russian athlete.
We will review the entire system at the Korea Skating Union to see if there had been any corruption or feuds
His gold medal victory in the 1,000-metre short track on Saturday provoked a furious response in South Korea - but with the anger directed squarely at the country's skating officials rather than at Ahn himself.
Yesterday's newspapers trumpeted his achievement, while heaping scorn on the "incompetent" KSU. "Vindication for Victor," a headline in the JoongAng Daily said.
Ahn's falling out with the KSU revolved around claims of factional infighting in the South Korean national team based on fierce university loyalties.
Yesterday's Sports Seoul paper devoted three pages to lamenting the turn of events that led to Ahn crossing the finish line in Sochi in a Russian team strip.