Judo Fed President Won't Step Down

TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 align=right border=0>TBODY>TR>TD>TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=150 border=0>TBODY>TR>TD colSpan=2>IMG src="/_images/articles/OldStories/yspark2.jpg">/TD>/TR>TR>TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px">SPAN class=caption>B>Y.S. Park was suspended from his IOC membership last week./B>/SPAN>/TD>TD width=12> /TD>/TR>/TBODY>/TABLE>/TD>/TR>/TBODY>/TABLE>(ATR) International Judo Federation President Yong Sung Park says he will not step down from his sports post, regardless of his suspension as an IOC member. BR>BR>In a letter to his colleagues at the IJF Park says he intends to appeal his conviction on corporate corruption charges.BR>BR>"In Korea, I have already filed an appeal to the High Court. If necessary, I am prepared to battle the charges all the way to the Supreme Court," writes Park.BR>BR>"As such, I inform you today that I have no intention to neither resign nor be removed from my duly elected post as President of the International Judo Federation. I shall continue to fulfill my duty to the International Judo Federation and will execute on the strategy thatBR>I set forth for the sport of Judo at the last Ordinary Congress in Cairo," he says.BR>BR>In the letter, Park blames the "personal greed" of one of his brothers for the legal problems he faces.BR>BR>The IOC provisionally suspended Park last week from his membership pending appeal. Should his appeal fail, Park presumably could be expelled from the IOC. In February Park received a five-year suspended jail sentence for his role in the corporate scandal involving the Doosan Group, his family's company and one of Korea's biggest.BR>BR>I>In other news from the international federations:/I>BR>BR>- The world figure skating championships started this week at the Pengrowth Saddleome in Calgary. Athletes from over 30 countries are expected to participate in the event, although many of the gol TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 align=left border=0>TBODY>TR>TD>TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=150 border=0>TBODY>TR>TD colSpan=2>IMG src="/_images/articles/OldStories/saddledome.jpg">/TD>/TR>TR>TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 5px">SPAN class=caption>B>The Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary./B>/SPAN>/TD>TD width=12> /TD>/TR>/TBODY>/TABLE>/TD>/TR>/TBODY>/TABLE>d medalists in Turin will not compete. The championships continue through Sunday.BR>BR>- The International Cricket Council will adopt a drug-testing policy for major events which should meet the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency. ICC president Ehsan Mani says that after approval at a council meeting in July, "this new WADA-compliant policy will become mandatory for all major ICC events beginning with this year's ICC Champions Trophy in India". BR>BR>- Helmut Czasny will be the new Competition Manager of the ISAF Secretariat starting in July. Czasny is currently an international race officer and international judge for the federation.BR>BR>B>/B>BR>