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    IOC ask South Korea to bar footballer from ceremony

    The IOC has asked South Korea to bar a footballer from the medal ceremony after he was photographed apparently holding a political message about a territorial dispute with Japan following their bronze play-off.

    Midfielder Park Jong-woo was due to have picked up a bronze medal during a ceremony at Wembley, but he could not be seen on the podium alongside his teammates, and his name was not announced over the public address system.

    The 23-year-old midfielder had been pictured the day before seeming to hold up a sign which read "Dokdo is our territory" following his team's 2-0 victory over Asian rivals Japan.

    The incident risked inflaming an already tense political situation between the two countries over the islands which are known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, and which lie equidistant from the two nations.

    On Saturday, Japan said it would take the territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice, after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to the islands this week.

    After the visit, Japan recalled its ambassador to South Korea.

    "We have opened an inquiry and have asked the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Korea for an explanation," the International Olympic Committee said in a statement on Saturday.

    It called on South Korea's National Olympic Committee to take swift action and had urged the player not to attend the ceremony.

    FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against him, who has until August 16 to respond, the international soccer governing body said in a statement.

    South Korean NOC chief of staff John Moon told Reuters before the ceremony: "We just heard about what happened yesterday, we are looking into this incident but we are taking it very seriously.

    "According to the IOC rules politics has no place in sport."

    An official for the Japanese NOC said he was unaware of the incident.

    It is believed the sign was shown long after the game had finished, in which South Korea won their first Olympic football medal.

    The photographs swiftly spread on Twitter after being published by a Korean news agency.

    Played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in front of 56,000 sports fans, it had been a fiercely contested match during which seven yellow cards were shown, four for the Koreans and three for Japan.

    The disputed islands are believed to contain frozen natural gas deposits potentially worth billions of dollars.

    Lee became the first South Korean leader to make the trip to the islands, which have been a persistent irritant in relations between the two countries.

    Officials in South Korea said Friday's visit was meant to highlight the islands' importance as a natural reserve and was not aimed at stirring up trouble.

     

    4 comments

    • Steven Brooks  •  Northampton, England  •  3 hours ago
      What ever happened to free speech in this country. Locog should insist he is there, after all that is the British way.
      • elson l 1 hour 8 minutes ago
        I don't work for the IOC
      • CVinnie 1 hour 11 minutes ago
        @Elson
        oh i was just wondering in general
      • elson l 1 hour 15 minutes ago
        @CVinnie, but this isn't a sign asking for world peace. This is a sign saying the land belongs to them and not Japan, far from asking for world peace
    • 수원  •  1 hour 54 minutes ago
      It is believed the sign was shown long after the game had finished
    • Mitsuhisa  •  Osaka-shi, Japan  •  3 hours ago
      IOC must have been bribed. This kind of activity should be punished much more heavily.
      Koreans disgraced Olympic in a childish manner.
      • Steven Brooks 2 hours 16 minutes ago
        As is promoting the political aims of McDonalds and Coca Cola but they dont seem to have a problem with that.
      • Simon 2 hours 41 minutes ago
        IOC & LOCOG are only miffed because they couldnt sell the advertising space to one of the corporate sponsors.
      • Leo Thompson 2 hours 45 minutes ago
        And you don't think your biased comment is CHILDISH at all, Mitsuhisa? You're sick!
    • Kim  •  1 hour 17 minutes ago
      I careful in talking. Dokdo is not disputed territory. Just Japan want to be. (Japan going to accomplish.) becuase korean people live there, at the moment and 100 years ago. so it's a political activity or not depand on how accepted.

      and actually, only korean and japanes take care this matter and sign. (many japanese on this page prove that)

      he is so naive man. his act was not a serious.
      should be agree that is no problem at all.

    /
    Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
    1 United States 41 26 29 96
    2 China 37 25 21 83
    3 Great Britain 26 15 18 59
    4 Russia 19 24 28 71
    5 South Korea 13 7 7 27
    6 Germany 10 19 14 43
    7 France 10 9 12 31
    8 Hungary 8 4 4 16
    Full Medal Count »

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