At the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese short track speed skating team made significant progress, while the old rival South Korea's performance was not satisfactory.
China won gold and silver medals in the short track speed skating men's 1000m event, while two South Korean players in this event were disqualified for fouls. In the previous short track speed skating mixed team relay competition, the Chinese team also won the championship, while the South Korean team was eliminated in the quarter-finals because the team members fell.
This contrast made some South Korean netizens very angry, but they did not find reasons from themselves, nor did they pay attention to the development of the sport itself, but aimed at the Chinese short track speed skating team technical coach An Hyun-so. On the Internet, some South Korean netizens launched an Internet storm against him, which seriously interfered with Ahn Hyun-so himself. In an interview with reporters, he specifically talked about this matter and called on South Korean netizens not to hurt and target his family.
As the technical coach of the Chinese short track speed skating team, Ahn Hyun-so (first from left) celebrates for the Chinese team. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Some South Korean netizens were dissatisfied with Ahn Hyun-soo's teaching abroad, accusing him of being a "traitor." This is actually an old topic. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Ahn Hyun-so, who had already acquired Russian citizenship, changed his name to Victor Ann. At the Olympic Games, Ahn Hyun-so won three gold medals for Russia as an athlete, rewriting the history of the Russian short track speed skating event. At that time, South Korean netizens began to attack him for "treason".
Changing from Ahn Hyun-so to Victor Ahn is also a painful choice for Ahn Hyun-so herself. Ahn Hyun-so is a world-class athlete in short track speed skating and was originally an ace of the Korean team, winning five medals for the Korean team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. But in 2008, Ahn Hyun-so suffered a serious injury, and he underwent three surgeries at his own expense in 2009, thus losing the opportunity to participate in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Since then, the selection system reform of South Korea's short track speed skating has paid more attention to the absolute speed ranking of individual skating, and Ahn Hyun-so has lost the opportunity to be selected for the national team. In early 2011, Russia launched an invitation to Ahn Hyun-so to guarantee his participation in the Sochi Winter Olympics if naturalized. Initially, Ahn Hyun-so refused, still struggling to be selected for the South Korean team, but when that effort failed completely, he eventually opted for Russian citizenship.
This was a big event at the time. As a speed skating powerhouse, the South Korean team is full of talent and seems to no longer need Ahn Hyun-so; and as an individual, Ahn Hyun-so still sees continuing to participate in the Olympic Games as his dream – he needs to prove himself. It was this spirit that allowed him to shine at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
This is the "grudge" between Ahn Hyun-so and Korean speed skating. In April 2020, the 34-year-old Ahn Hyun-so announced his retirement, and six months later he was hired as a technical coach for the Chinese short track speed skating team. In the world of sports, it is perfectly normal to hire foreign coaches, and the flow of excellent coaches in different countries has greatly promoted the development of world sports.
Most Koreans support and praise "their own people" to serve as coaches in foreign countries, and not long ago, the South Korean media also reported that Koreans may become the head coach of the Chinese men's football team, which is full of expectations. You know, in 2002, South Korean football created a miracle of reaching the final four in the World Cup, and the head coach was the Dutchman Hiddink.
Unfortunately, when Ahn Hyun-so really helped the Chinese short-track speed skating team improve its skills and achievements, and the Korean short-track speed skating plummeted at the Beijing Winter Olympics, many South Korean netizens were difficult to accept, and they began to anger Ahn Hyun-so. They seem to have forgotten how bleak Ahn Hyun-so's situation in South Korea was in 2011.
Coaches go abroad for employment, leading teams to "defeat" athletes from the motherland, such stories and controversies have always existed, moderate discussion and reflection, can also promote the development of national sports. Although the Olympic Games are a "competition" based on countries, the pursuit of sportsmanship that constantly transcends its own limitations is the common goal.
Therefore, this kind of controversy should be controlled within a certain limit, if it develops into an Internet riot, it will even affect the families of athletes and coaches, which will not only seriously cross the line, but also may violate the law.
What some Korean netizens need to ponder is actually the problems faced by the Korean short track speed skating project itself. How can a project with advantages be able to achieve long-term prosperity? In addition to the continuous emergence of outstanding athletes and the replacement of new and old, it is also necessary to face "competition from the outside world".
Some South Korean netizens clearly should not blame Ahn Hyun-so for coaching China, or even anger his family, for the loss of their athletes. Such a narrow national perspective runs counter to the Olympic spirit of "solidarity, fraternity, fair competition and mutual understanding".
"Everyone should have the possibility to engage in sport without discrimination of any kind and embody the Olympic spirit of mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair competition." This is at the heart of the modern Olympic spirit and why athletes from all over the world come together every four years.
Therefore, whether as an athlete in Russia or as a coach in China, Ahn Hyun-soo's approach is understandable, he is an athlete and has the right to chase his dreams. South Korea's short track speed skating community should regard the "Ahn Hyun-so Challenge" as a stimulus, so as to reflect on its own sports culture and stimulate potential, rather than being affected by netizens' remarks.
Special Commentator | Zhang Feng (Media Person)
Edit | Xu Qiuying
Proofreading | Wang Xin