S. Korean bobsleigh coach wants answers from gov't on use of Olympic Sliding Centre

By Joo Kyung-don

SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean national bobsleigh and skeleton team head coach Lee Yong said Wednesday that his team is awaiting answers from the government on the use of the Olympic Sliding Centre, the sliding sports venue at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

After the Winter Games, the Olympic Sliding Centre in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, has been closed due to administrative and budget issues. The Gangwon Provincial Government said it is willing to manage the venue if the central government can support 75 percent of operational costs, but its proposal has yet to be approved.

Lee said the current situation isn't helping the athletes, and he wants a quick answer from the government.

"We can't do anything at this point unless the government makes its decision," Lee said ahead of the 23rd Coca-Cola Sports Awards in Seoul. "I hope this issue is resolved quickly so that our athletes can train again."

South Korea earned one gold and one silver in sliding sports at the 23rd Winter Games in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. Yun Sung-bin claimed gold in the men's skeleton, while the four-man bobsleigh team of Won Yun-jong, Seo Young-woo, Jun Jung-lin and Kim Dong-hyun took silver.

"The 2019 World Championships will be in Whistler, Canada, and our athletes have been strong there," he said. "But with the sliding centre closed at this moment, we are really frustrated."

Lee said skeleton sliders and bobsledders took a brief rest after the Olympics, and they've started their training again at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, since last week.

"We've just trained to stay fit," he said. "But we want at least to use the start training facility at the Olympic Sliding Centre in May."

Lee previously criticized the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's decision to disband the reserve squad for the national skeleton and bobsleigh team. He also hopes this issue can be solved immediately.

"The government recently asked the sports organizations what needs to be done for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, so we raised this reserve team issue," he said. "I also want the government to recognize this problem and make a quick decision."

kdon@yna.co.kr
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