[Olympics] Ahn Hyun-soo Speaks Out on Judging Controversy: "Judging Issue Is Regrettable, But Please Refrain from Family Malicious Comments"

After the mixed-gender relay semifinals of short track at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 5th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium, South Korea's head coach Kim Seon-tae and technical coach Ahn Hyun-soo (Russian name Viktor An) are waiting for the video review results. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Viktor An (Russian name: Viktor An), the technical coach of the Chinese short track speed skating team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has addressed the controversy over the referees' 'biased decisions.'

On the 8th, An Hyunsoo posted on his Instagram, "Knowing how desperate and important the Olympic stage is for athletes, as a senior, colleague, and coach watching on-site, I also feel heartbroken about the ongoing judgment issues."

This is closely related to the questionable decisions surrounding the Chinese short track team at this competition. Earlier, on the 5th, in the short track 2000m mixed relay semifinals, the Chinese team advanced to the finals and won the gold medal despite making the mistake of not touching between athletes.

On the 7th, in the men's 1000m, Hwang Daeheon (Gangwon Province Office) of the Korean team overtook two Chinese skaters in the first semifinal heat and finished first, but was penalized and eliminated for changing lanes late.

Furthermore, Lee Junseo (Korea National Sport University), who competed in the second semifinal heat, also received a penalty for an incomprehensible lane change violation.

In the final where all Korean athletes were eliminated, Sandor Liu Shaolin (Hungary) crossed the finish line first but was given a yellow card after video review and disqualified, resulting in Chinese skater Ren Ziwei, who finished second, winning the gold medal.

As the somewhat expected 'home advantage' for China turned into biased decisions, criticism was directed at the Chinese team coaches.

Viktor An, a former Korean short track star who naturalized as a Russian and joined the Chinese short track team as a technical coach last year, appealed on social media to refrain from criticizing his family.

At the medal ceremony held after the mixed relay final of the men's and women's short track at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, held on the 5th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium, China team’s technical coach An Hyun-soo is seen talking with officials.
An Hyun-soo won three gold medals in short track at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics representing Korea, and three gold medals at the 2014 Sochi Olympics representing Russia. He participated in this Olympics as a technical coach for China. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He stated, "Since all the situations I am currently facing were created by my past choices or mistakes, I humbly accept any criticism or reproach. However, the most painful and difficult thing is that my innocent family is hurt and suffering."

He continued, "If what I do deserves criticism from someone, I will accept it willingly, and I always strive to be a more responsible and exemplary person, thinking that I am often lacking compared to the weight of attention I bear."

He also said, "I always do my best in the role given to me, but I am human and make mistakes. I also know many people are disappointed and regret my choices. That is why I have always been cautious with my words and have not given official interviews."

While expressing regret over the referees' decisions, An asked, "Please refrain from indiscriminate insults or malicious comments toward my family caused by matters beyond my control or false reports."

The following is the full text of Viktor An’s SNS post.

Hello,

Since all the situations I am currently facing were created by my past choices or mistakes, I humbly accept any criticism or reproach.

However, the most painful and difficult thing for me right now is that my innocent family is hurt and suffering.

Everyone has different thoughts and opinions, so if what I do deserves criticism from someone, I will accept it willingly. I always strive to be a more responsible and exemplary person, thinking that I am often lacking compared to the weight of attention I bear.

I always do my best in the role given to me, but I am human and make mistakes. I also know many people are disappointed and regret my choices.

That is why I have always been cautious with my words and have not given official interviews.

Knowing how desperate and important the Olympic stage is for athletes, as a senior, colleague, and coach watching on-site, I also feel heartbroken about the ongoing judgment issues.

However, I ask you to refrain from indiscriminate insults or malicious comments toward my family caused by matters beyond my control or false reports.

I sincerely thank everyone who supports and encourages me in any situation.

Viktor An (An Hyunsoo)