[Olympics] 南韓朴泰桓「恢復資格」
本來是想要找南韓朴泰桓被判失格的原因,試著從個媒體的報導上了解,甚至想找影片來看。可是一開始就讀到「南韓朴泰桓改判,可參加決賽」。到是這戲劇化的決定原因為何?
一早上上花了許久的時間來這事件的來龍去脈,但「恢復資格」的過程這也太奇怪了吧!而 FINA 沒有多做解釋只有簡短聲明。
這件事,從朴泰桓被判失格起,就讓我想起亞運跆拳道的「楊淑君事件」。一開始,我想這也算是幫台灣報了一個冤。但我對優秀選手因為一些枝節的技術問題被判喪失資格很不忍,即便是南韓選手;這也是為什麼我想知道朴泰桓被判失格的原因。
從「失格」到「恢復資格」這才是真正的學問所在。從「楊淑君事件」當場抗議的「戲劇化表現」,相對的「南韓朴泰桓改判,可參加決賽」完全在「檯面下進行」,後者到底是為了讓政治力介入,還是國際體育賽事的規矩呢?
「朴泰桓失格改判」與「楊淑君事件」箇中原委都籠罩在「秘密」與「沉默」之中,這可以說與運動家精神的「光明正大」、「公平競爭」完全背道而馳。
Rank | Lane | Athlete | Time | Diff | + | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 04 | SUN Yang | 3:40.14 | OR | - | |
2 | 06 | PARK Taehwan | 3:42.06 | +1.92 | ||
3 | 05 | VANDERKAAY Peter | 3:44.69 | +4.55 | ||
4 | 07 | HAO Yun | 3:46.02 | +5.88 | ||
5 | 03 | DWYER Conor | 3:46.39 | +6.25 | ||
6 | 02 | KIS Gergo | 3:47.03 | +6.89 | ||
7 | 08 | CARRY David | 3:48.62 | +8.48 | ||
8 | 01 | NAPOLEON Ryan | 3:49.25 | +9.11 |
Park wins appeal but loses title
By Alan Baldwin
South Korea's Park Tae-hwan reacts after the men's 400m freestyle heats at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre July 28, 2012. /Credit: Reuters/Michael Dalder
(Reuters) - Park Tae-hwan surrendered his Olympic 400 metres freestyle title after a roller-coaster first day in the Olympic pool that started with a shock disqualification and ended with reinstatement and a silver medal.
"Today has been a long day for me," he told reporters after ending up well beaten by Sun Yang, China's first male Olympic swimming gold medallist.A national hero to his compatriots after he overcame childhood asthma to become the first South Korean swimmer to win Olympic gold in Beijing four years ago, Park appeared in the morning to have blown his chance.
After a protest, and several hours of deliberation, governing body FINA back-tracked on the referee's decision that it was a false start.They decided he could compete in the evening's final at the expense of Canadian eighth-placed qualifier Ryan Cochrane, who missed out by one hundredth of a second.
Park, who had been told by his coach to rest and have lunch pending the appeal, made the fastest start of anyone in the final and set a world record pace for the first 300 metres before fading.
He did not dwell on the stress but indicated it had played a part in his defeat.
"Because of the decision, which was unfortunate, it was very difficult for me during this period after the heats and before the final," he said. "I'm sure there was some influence."
RARE REINSTATEMENT
FINA said the unusual reversal was based on the recommendation of its technical swimming commission but provided no further details in a one paragraph statement that begged plenty of questions.
A venue press officer sitting alongside Park at a post-race news conference tried to intervene when questions were asked about the disqualification, telling reporters to email FINA instead of asking the athlete.
A FINA official earlier said the disqualification had been based on what the referee had seen.
Timing is done by Omega, who have introduced new electronic sensor pads on the blocks for London to measure swimmers' reaction times, but only the referee can declare the disqualification.
Reinstatements are rare but FINA has performed similar U-turns before. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, American Aaron Peirsol was reinstated as the winner of the 200m backstroke after winning an appeal against his disqualification.Park seemed to have made a schoolboy error in moving too early for a heat he should have won easily, a mistake that provided a flashback to his Olympic debut in 2004 when he was also disqualified from his preliminary heat in the same distance.
The youngest South Korean athlete at those Athens Games, he was so upset he hid in a bathroom for hours.
On Saturday he also momentarily hunched up on the floor, wiping his eyes, but it was more out of relief and happiness than despair.
"The coach said to forget about today and tomorrow we focus on the heats," he said. "I need to throw this thing away so I can really focus. It's not going to be easy but I will try."
Park had been expected to take on the mantle of retired Australian Ian Thorpe as the dominant swimmer in the men's 400 after his Beijing win but has struggled to assert his authority on the distance.
After the last Olympics, he failed to qualify for the final at the 2009 world championships in Rome but won the title in Shanghai last July despite scraping into the last eight with only the seventh best time.
(Additional reporting by Clara Ferreira-Marques, editing by Julian Linden)
South Korean swimmer Park reinstated after DQ
FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu told the Associated Press that the swimming governing body issued its ruling after reviewing video footage of what had been deemed a false start.
"I can confirm that Park has been reinstated for the 400 freestyle," Marculescu said.
Park's time Saturday was 3 minutes, 46.68 seconds, which qualified him in fourth position. He knocks out Ryan Cochrane of Canada, who had taken the final qualifying position in eighth.
South Korea's protest went first to FINA's technical swimming committee, which upheld the disqualification. South Korea then took it to a jury of appeal, which ruled in Park's favor.
Park was first to touch the wall in his heat and appeared bewildered when told of the disqualification.
"I don't know why," Park said. "I need to speak to my coach to find out."
Marculescu could not explain why the judge on the pool deck called for a disqualification.
"It's a very good question," Marculescu said. "Human error maybe."
The stories were taken from the websites of Apple Daily Taiwan and Reuters at the URL stated below each title. The copyright remains with their original owners.