Despite some voices of dissatisfaction that Viktor Ahn was to coach the Chinese speed skating team, a strong rival of its Republic of Korea counterpart, it did not bring much trouble to the former ROK speed-skating legend when the news first broke.
Things took an abrupt turn for the ugly after the Chinese short-track speed skaters began their winning streak, particularly after they won both the gold and silver medals in the men’s 1,000-meter final. Ahn has found himself in a vortex of abuse on the internet, mostly from his native country. Internet trolls accuse him of being a “traitor”. The bullying has become so rampant and damaging that Ahn had to issue a plea for the trolls to spare his innocent family.
And the matter seems to be getting uglier against the backdrop of the ROK Olympic delegation’s allegation that referees for the men’s short-track speed skating semi-finals were biased in favor of China when they disqualified ROK contestants from the finals.
However, the International Skating Union has announced it found no problem in the judgment and turned down the appeal from the ROK Olympic delegation that the decision be overturned.
Uncomfortable as it may be, it is not just unfair, but downright pathetic to shift frustration with failures in the sports arena to the perfectly innocent Ahn, who deserves everyone’s respect both as the most decorated Winter Olympic champion and as a successful coach now.
After all, there is nothing untoward in a retired Olympic champion assuming a coaching career overseas these days. The ROK’s soccer team for one has benefited tremendously from European coaches. Not a few former Chinese table tennis, diving and gymnastics stars have been coaching foreign athletes over the years. And Ahn is only one of the star-studded team of foreign coaches now helping China improve its winter sports capabilities.
Not to mention that, legally, Viktor Ahn is no longer Ahn Hyun-Soo, the ROK Olympian hero, who won three golds among four medals for his birth country at the 2006 Torino Winter Games. He became a Russian citizen in 2011 after the doors to another Olympic adventure was shut to him at home, winning three golds among four medals for his adopted country at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games before retiring because of injuries.
Whoever he is, whatever citizenship he holds, Ahn is an outstanding athlete whose excellence in his sport brought, and keeps bringing, joy and inspiration to people around the world. His experience both as an Olympic contestant and coach has been a shining example of sportsmanship. Even all that aside, as an ordinary athlete and individual, he has every right to choose where and for whom to work within the bounds of law.
Editorial, China Daily
