Taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) yesterday said she would continue on her quest for success by preparing for next year’s Olympic Games in London.
Yang was disqualified at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, last year after officials claimed her foot guards had extra sensors during a fight against a Vietnamese opponent.
Yang was leading 9-0 in her opening bout on Nov. 17 when she was disqualified.
Video replays showed Yang had removed the additional sensors before the bout began.
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) last month suspended Yang from participating in any international competitions for three months for delaying the proceedings of the match by refusing to leave the ring.
Her coach, Liu Tsung-ta (劉聰達), was also held responsible and suspended for 18 months.
“I asked myself whether I should continue my career in taekwondo after the disqualification and the penalty handed down by the WTF,” Yang said in a statement.
“I also thought it over and over again ... if I should fight to qualify for the 2012 Olympics,” she said.
“Taekwondo has always been the greatest passion in my life and I believe the rigorous training I have had in the past few years will enable me to compete with other athletes. After considering this matter in a peaceful mind, I have decided to increase my training and concentrate fully on the draft for the London Olympics,” she said.
Yang also said she had entrusted lawyers with the task of taking the disqualification and the WTF’s ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Geneva, adding that she would not comment further on her case for fear it might affect the result of the arbitration.
The Sports Affairs Council and Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association said that they supported Yang’s decision and had no intention of dropping the arbitration case with the CAS.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association said it would pay the US$50,000 fine imposed on Yang by the WTF for staging her protest.
The association said in a statement that it made the decision at a board meeting on Sunday in the interest of protecting Taiwanese athletes’ rights to take part in international competitions.
The association also decided that it would reorganize its coaching team, given that Liu would not be able to participate in the London Olympics because of his suspension.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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