The Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association (CTTA) denied rumors that it was to be suspended by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) as a result of its request for international arbitration in a case involving the disqualification of a Taiwanese athlete at last year’s Asian Games.
“There is no such move,” CTTA Chairman Chen Chien-ping (陳建平) said.
The association has not been warned of a possible suspension by the WTF, he said, rebutting media speculation.
Asked whether Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) would retract or follow through on the appeal she filed with the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport on Dec. 8, Sports Affairs Council Deputy Minister Steven Chen (陳士魁) said it was still unclear what Yang would do.
Meanwhile, a ranking WTF official who asked not to be named said in Seoul that the WTF would not comment on the rumors from Taiwan.
It has been a common practice that the WTF does not address its disciplinary committee’s decisions and rulings by its chairman, the official said.
In response, however, to rumors that Lee Cheng-yung (note: will get back to you later), a Taiwanese member of the WTF executive committee, warned the CTTA that it would be punished if the arbitration case went ahead, the WTF official said he believed that Lee made the warning out of concern for the rights of the CTTA and Yang.
Yang was controversially disqualified on Nov. 17 for allegedly wearing extra electronic sensors in her socks at the Asian Games, but replays of her bout showed that she had removed the two extra sensors before the contest began at the referee’s request.
The WTF banned Yang from competition for three months on Dec. 21 for protesting the disqualification by refusing to leave the ring.
Yang’s coach Liu Tsung-ta (劉聰達), who lodged a protest after the disqualification, was punished with a 20-month suspension, and the CTTA was fined US$50,000.
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