"Controversy Over Cancellation of Closing Ceremony" Sports Association President: "Considering Athletes' Fatigue... Athletes Would Have Liked It"

"Reduced due to player fatigue and equipment issues"
Regarding An Se-young's remarks, "Timing and place were somewhat regrettable"

Controversy has arisen over the inadequate conduct of the closing ceremony for the South Korean delegation of the 2024 Paris Olympics, who returned home with their best-ever performance. In response, Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, explained, "We sent an official letter to Incheon International Airport Corporation expressing our intention to hold a scaled-down event considering the athletes' fatigue," adding, "The athletes probably appreciated it." On the 19th, Lee appeared on BBS's 'Ham In-kyung's Morning Journal' and said, "The closing ceremony was not coordinated with the Sport & Olympic Committee, and I was completely unaware of the details," clarifying the situation.

Lee Ki-heung, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, returned home through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the afternoon of the 13th, waving the Taegeukgi.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 13th, about 50 members of the main South Korean delegation returning through Incheon Airport were scheduled to hold a closing ceremony near the Great Hall in Terminal 2's arrival area, attended by Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon and others. However, the event did not take place. The ceremony ended quietly after President Lee read a statement to the press and received and waved the Taegeukgi flag from team leader Jung Kang-seon. Afterwards, the athletes dispersed upon receiving notice of the ceremony's conclusion.

Regarding this, President Lee explained, "After the Olympics, athletes endure flights of over 10 hours and then take about 4 hours to reach the athletes' village, arriving around 10 or 11 p.m.," adding, "They also have to bring equipment equivalent to two or three large trucks. The venue requested by the airport corporation for the closing ceremony was underground, so moving the equipment via elevator through narrow spaces took a long time."

Lee Ki-heung, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, is delivering a greeting at the 2024 Paris Olympics South Korean delegation review press conference held on the morning of the 11th (local time) at Korea House in central Paris, France.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Lee continued, "We received notice that the Yongsan Presidential Office would host a congratulatory reception for the athletes soon, so there was no need to hold the event at the airport," asserting, "Our athletes probably were very pleased." Regarding the revelation by badminton women's singles gold medalist An Se-young, Lee said, "Anyone can raise issues, and if there are problems, they should be improved," but added, "The timing and location were somewhat regrettable. Since An Se-young is still young, I think her expression might have been a bit clumsy."

He added, "We intended to conduct an investigation for system improvement, but the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism formed an investigative team and began their inquiry," stating, "To avoid duplication, we will wait until their investigation concludes and then take appropriate measures and implement system improvements based on the results."

Nonetheless, he emphasized, "There is much dedication from coaches in discovering athletes at a young age and nurturing them into national representatives," and argued, "When athletes achieve personal success and reach a certain level of growth, dedication to the organization and society is also necessary." He continued, "We need to find the most rational way to maximize athletes' benefits while ensuring the organization functions well," drawing a line by saying, "It is impossible to make decisions like cutting tofu without understanding the field."

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