The match started with a handshake and ended with a little hug, the muscular Koreans refusing to acknowledge the military and political tensions back home.
Wrestlers from North and South Korea faced off on the Asian Games mat yesterday, the morning after the two countries exchanged artillery fire near their disputed sea border. Two South Korean marines were killed and the international community appealed for calm following the dramatic confrontation.
However, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the match between North Korea’s Yang Chun-song and South Korea’s Kim Dai-sung in the men’s freestyle 66kg division, as athletes and coaches tried to keep the focus on sports.
PHOTO: AFP
Yang won 3-0, dominating the competition in which the men were literally hand-to-hand.
At one point, Yang, who was wearing a red uniform, had his opponent in blue by the ankles. Kim pushed himself up on his hands as if it were a child’s game of “wheelbarrow,” drawing chuckles from the audience.
As they left the mat, the men exchanged a brief hug, then shook hands cordially with each other’s coaches.
PHOTO: AFP
Both sides walked out of the arena quickly, breezing past a scrum of waiting reporters.
“I don’t want to get into politics,” said Kim Chang-kew, president of the Asian Associated Wrestling Committee. “We are [here] for sport and for these Asian Games. Sport should not be connected with war or peace.”
Kim said he didn’t think they were under any special pressure.
PHOTO: AFP
Two North Korean coaches gave a little laugh as journalists asked about the political situation, then waved them off while repeatedly saying “no comment.”
There’s been no evidence of any animosity between the delegations since the shelling started on Tuesday on the island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations and a small civilian population.
Manuel Silverio, the Olympic Council of Asia’s media committee chairman, urged both sides to remain at the Games, which bring together more than 10,000 athletes from 45 countries. Both Korean teams have said there were no plans to quit.
Just hours after the violence in Korea, archers from the two countries stood side-by-side on the medal podium on Tuesday evening.
South Korea’s Yun Ok-hee won gold in the women’s individual competition, beating Cheng Ming of China in the final, with Kwon Un-sil of North Korea securing the bronze.
Yun walked over to Kwon with the South Korean flag draped over her shoulders after winning the competition and the North Korean gave her a friendly pat on the back.
At that stage, Kwon claimed she didn’t know anything about the skirmish.
“I just try to do my best in my performance. I don’t pay attention to or care about the situation,” Kwon said through a translator. “My goal at this Asian Games and my only goal was to win the gold medal ... It is not only for my own aspirations but also for our great leader.”
After the news conference, Yun told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that at least regarding archery, the Korean athletes “have always been on good terms.”
“I was hoping Un-sil would reach the gold medal match and when she ended up in the bronze medal contest, I was cheering for her,” Yun said. “In archery, we always say hello to each other and talk to each other.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS