The final had to be started twice, as the first start was aborted after a few laps due to ice chunks on the surface.Continue reading
The Hungarian Skating Federation (MOKSZ) and the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB) issued a joint statement on the occasion of the 1000 meter speed skating final, in which the first-place finisher, Sándor Liu Shaolin, was disqualified after the race. The two organizations wrote that they are united in their support for the legal and fair participation of Hungarian athletes in the Olympic Games.
This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute.
“The Hungarian Olympic Committee and the Hungarian National Skating Federation jointly defend the rights of athletes, the Hungarian Olympic team, and fair play in the interest of legal and fair participation in Olympic competitions and will do everything to protect the reputation and international recognition of the 127-year-old Olympic movement and the 115-year-old sport of ice skating,” reads a joint statement from the two sports organizations.
As we reported earlier, Hungarian speed skater Sándor Liu Shaolin was disqualified in the speed skating final in Beijing after crossing the finish line first. Although the Hungarian team had filed an appeal against the decision, it was rejected by the International Speed Skating Federation.
After his disqualification, Liu Shaolin congratulated his Chinese rival on Instagram, writing that although he didn’t become an Olympic champion, he would do everything exactly as he had done. His brother Liu Shaoang, who finished fourth in the final but took bronze because of his brother’s disqualification, said at Tuesday’s medal ceremony:
I think everyone was able to wrap things up as they needed to be. Today we woke up feeling whatever happened, it happened, and we got over it.”
The MOB and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) now “reject biased sports adjudication” that is contrary to Olympic principles, and call on IOC leadership to ensure fair and impartial adjudication that is consistent with the Olympic Movement. Our goal is to fairly enforce the rules that apply to all and ensure fair competition, with the goal that the race is decided on the track between the participants. In addition, they demand a review not only of the result but also want to open an ethics investigation against the chief judge of the competition.
“In the final sprint Chen Zedong had both hands on Liu’s feet, so it is incomprehensible why the Hungarian was penalized. The International Skating Union (ISU) tweaks the rules every year, but the final decision is made by the head referee, and everything depends on his correct judgment,” argued the team manager, who also complained about an alleged wrong decision by his own national team.
Source: 24.hu
Featured image: Sándor Liu Shaolin (on the left) and China’s Zsen Ce-vej (on the right) during the men’s 1000m short track speed skating final at the Indoor Stadium of the Budapest 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, February 7, 2022. Photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI
