Report: World champion speed skater banned 1 year for pantsing teammate in front of female skaters
Olympic short track gold medalist Lim Hyo-jun has been suspended for allegedly pulling down the pants of a male teammate in front of female skaters, according to multiple reports.
The Yonhap News Agency reports that the Korea Skating Union imposed the ban on the South Korean speed skater, citing sexual harassment of his male teammate.
Gold medalist banned for 1 year
The union announced the news on Thursday, according to the report. Lim won’t be eligible to participate in skating-related activities again until Aug. 7, 2020.
Lim won a gold medal in the 1,500-meter short track event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
According to the report, the incident happened on June 17. Lim allegedly pulled down the pants of a younger skater at the Jincheon National Training Center with female skaters present.
Second ban since July
This is the second one-year ban the Korea Skating Union has handed down this year. The group handed two-time Olympic champion Lee Seung-hoon a one-year suspension in July over allegations that he sexually assaulted two teammates over the course of multiple international competitions.
Lee won the 10,000-meter race at the 2010 Vancouver Games and the mass start event in PyeongChang.
Sport rocked by sex abuse scandal
The revelation of the accusations against Lee surfaced during an investigation of abuse cases involving athletes and coaches in the skating union, according to the Associated Press.
Former national team coach Cho Jae-beom was convicted of assaulting two-time Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee. He is serving 18 months in prison and was indicted on separate charges of raping Shim in June.
Shim, 22, said in January that Cho had repeatedly raped her since she was 17.
The reports of sexual abuse in the sport coincide with the country’s rise to dominance in short track speed skating, where South Korea has won 24 gold medals since the sport became an Olympic event in 1992.
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