(ATR) Organizers from the 2014 Asian Games say they are doing all they can to prevent advantages for South Korean athletes.
"The president of the IAGOC stressed that home advantages should not be given under any circumstances," Son Cheon-taik, sports deputy secretary general of the IAGOC, said at a news conference Thursday.
The controversy over home advantages came after South Korean boxer Park Jin-a defeated Indian Sarita Devi in a close match.
Devi, at the medal ceremony refused to accept her bronze medal and hung it around Park’s neck at the medal ceremony.
"Judgment calls are made by the Olympic Council of Asia and the respective Asian federations. We can only ask that they make fair evaluations and decisions."
This is not the first time home advantages have brought up in a South Korea-hosted event.
The Korean Times reported that controversies over home advantages were part of the 1968 and 2002 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
In 1986, South Korea defeated Indonesia in a controversial semi-final badminton match, and Indonesia boycotted a match in the 2002 event badminton due to "biased officiating."
In 1988, American boxer Roy Jones Jr. lost the gold medal light middleweight to South Korean Park Si-Hun in a 3-2 decision. After the match, all three judges that ruled in favor of Park were suspended.
Boxing Medal Reinstated
The OCA reinstated Devi’s bronze medal after refusing to accept it at a medal ceremony Wednesday.
Indian chef de mission Adille Sumariwalla lobbied to OCA to reinstate the medal, which will be returned Friday.
"I told them it had happened in an emotional moment," Sumariwalla told the Press Trust of India.
"The OCA has reinstated Sarita Devi as the bronze medal winner."
All Korea Soccer Final
South Korea defeated North Korea 1-0 in the final of men’s football at the 2014 Asian Games.
Defender Rim Chang-Woo scored a last minute goal in extra time to win the game for South Korea.
The two sides met last in an Asian Games final in 1978 in Bangkok. The score line to that game was 0-0 and both teams shared the title.
According to a report from the AP, South Korean players will be exempt from their two-year mandatory military service after winning the match. It will also help with allowing players to move to Europe earlier in their club careers.
"I'd like to give kudos to our players for winning the country's first gold medal in 28 years," Lee Kwang-jong, South Korean football coach, said to Yonhap.
"I think we played an entertaining match with North Korea."
Written by Aaron Bauer
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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