By Korea’s short track speed skating star Ahn Hyun-soo is giving up his Korean citizenship to become a Russian:
Three-time Olympic short track champion Ahn Hyun-soo once said his goal was to make a triumphant comeback at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
“I want to stand at the top of the victory stand at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics,” he said at the national winter sports championships in February this year. He still wants to win gold as a national team member again, but not as a Korean competitor.
○ Healing broken wings
Ahn wrote Wednesday on his page in Cyworld, a Korean social networking site, that he was seeking Russian citizenship. This came a day after the Russian Skating Union asked Moscow to grant him Russian citizenship and make him eligible to compete for Russia at the 2014 Winter Olympics. [Donga Ilbo]
I wonder how long it will be before he regrets this decision?
7:05 pm on August 22nd, 2011 1
What? They no longer give the customary exemption from conscription service and unlimited free travel for life on Korean Air? Seems to be more out of spite due to conflicts he’s had with his Korean nationals coach and teammates.
Could he becomes Korea’s most hated man in speed skating, even more so than his nemesis, Apolo Ohno?
Poor guy. It must suck to be him.
11:27 pm on August 22nd, 2011 2
As an olympic medal winning athlete (assuming he wins any medals in 2014), who knows…he might garner hero status in Russia and be treated really well the rest of his life. Russia has a huge ethnic minority population – to include millions of Asians – and also to include a fairly good sized ethnic-Korean population.
Hundreds of thousands of Koreans have immigrated to the US, Europe, and S. America. It’s worked out really well for most of them.
Yes…he might regret it…
and turnout to be an angry internet troll like xxx...but he might also live the rest of his life with no regret over this decision.Only time will tell.
1:06 am on August 23rd, 2011 3
#1,
I think it could be complicated. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but there used to be two teams within the national team, with two separate coaches. This brought on some unhealthy competition between members of the national team, with skaters sometimes taking out other Korean skaters just so they wouldn’t get a medal.