Referee Controversy Over 'Biased Judgment', Excluded from Women's 1500m... Good News for Women's Short Track

Korean Women's Short Track Speed Skating National Team.
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] = Peter Wors, the British chief referee who caused controversy over judgments in the men's 1000m short track at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was excluded from the women's 1500m race.

According to an official from the International Skating Union (ISU), Beata Padar of Hungary will serve as the chief referee for the women's 1500m short track event held on the afternoon of the 16th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

The ISU assigned a total of 12 referees for the international competition including the Winter Olympics: one chief referee each for men’s and women’s events, two assistant referees, one video review referee, one starter, and one crew member for heat assignments.

In short track, although there are assistant referees and video review referees, the final decision is made by the chief referee. This means the chief referee holds significant authority.

However, previously, Chief Referee Wors made many rulings favoring Chinese athletes in various events including the mixed relay. This led to protests from Korea and Hungary, who strongly opposed and even considered appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Choi Minjeong, Lee Yubin, and Kim Arang were able to avoid Chief Referee Wors, who had penalized both Hwang Daeheon and Lee Junseo in the men's 1000m semifinals, due to the ISU’s decision. Wors will oversee the men's 5000m relay.

According to Hungarian media, Chief Referee Padar arrived in Beijing after departing Switzerland on the 30th of last month but tested positive for COVID-19 the next day and was moved to a quarantine hotel.

Padar, who was confined for ten days due to repeated positive tests and lost nearly 5kg over the past two weeks, endured hardships but rejected the ISU’s recommendation to return home for rest and decided to fulfill her duties.

Meanwhile, at 8:30 PM that day, Choi Minjeong (Seongnam City Hall), Kim Arang (Goyang City Hall), and Lee Yubin (Yonsei University) will compete in the women's 1500m quarterfinals, challenging for medals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.