IOC allows footballer to receive medal

WASHINGTON - Agence France-Presse

Footballer Park Jong Woo arrives for an hearing in Switzetzerland. AFP Photo

South Korean footballer Park Jong-Woo will finally receive his Olympic bronze medal, along with a stern warning for an overt political gesture he made at the London Games, Korean officials said yesterday. The decision to award Park his medal was taken after the footballer appeared before an International Olympic Committee (IOC) disciplinary hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland on Feb. 11.

“The IOC disciplinary commission warned him over his action in London, but he will receive the medal,” a spokesman for the Korean Olympic Committee told AFP.

The 23-year-old midfielder was excluded from the awards ceremony in London after he held up a sign reading “Dokdo is our land” while celebrating the Korean team’s 2-0 bronze medal victory over Japan. Last December FIFA’committee suspended him for two matches.