These people that have been protesting the MacArthur statue can now turn their attention to another symbol of anti-Americanism:
Ohno, famous for his “soul patch” of facial hair and infamous in Korea for his controversial 1,500-meter victory against Kim Dong-Sung at the 2002 Games, intends to compete in Korea for the first time since that Olympic race.
In the 1,500 final at the Salt Lake City Olympics, Kim crossed the finish line first but was disqualified for a blocking move on Ohno, who was awarded the gold medal, adding to a silver in the 1,000. The controversy triggered a barrage of 16,000 e-mails to the U.S. Olympic Committee, among them death threats.
“Hopefully some of the fans will have calmed down and kind of understand the real situation. But that’s out of my control. I’m just an athlete trying to perform my best at competitions,” Ohno said of the Oct. 7-9 event in Seoul.
Two years ago, Ohno decided not to enter an event in Jeonju City, South Korea, against a backdrop of Internet death threats and a Korean newspaper report calling him “the most hated athlete in South Korea.” With the 2006 Winter Games less than five months away, it would be much more difficult to leave Korea off his schedule.
Why people hate this guy is beyond me. He was just competing in the race and the judge made a call. Ohno didn’t make the call, he just benefited from it. How come no one was complaining in 2002 when the South Korean soccer was competing in the World Cup and got a few favorable calls that aided their success?
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