Here’s a summary of the news report, focusing on the key details:
The Issue: Allegations of unfair selection to the South Korean Women’s Artistic Gymnastics National Team
* The Case: The Board of Audit and Inspection is investigating allegations of preferential treatment in the selection process for the national team. The focus is on a gymnast (referred to as “A”), the daughter of a Korean Gymnastics Association executive (a former Olympic medalist).
* The Problem: “A” performed poorly in the selection competition, participating in only one of four events and receiving a very low score (0.5 out of a possible 40-50). She ranked 29th out of 30 athletes. Despite this, she was included in the final 9-person national team roster, displacing an athlete who ranked 8th overall.
* The Manipulation: the Gymnastics Association changed the selection criteria just before the competition. They shifted from selecting based purely on performance to a system that included “ranking points” (based on past performance). “A” received a perfect score in ranking points, boosting her position to 9th.
* Suspicious Timing: The ranking point system had actually been abolished by the Gymnastics Association months prior, but was reinstated specifically for this competition.
* Approval Process: The Korea Sports Council initially withheld approval for “A” and two others, citing a lack of objective data. However, the Gymnastics Association pushed for re-approval, arguing “A” had medal potential, and the sports Council eventually conceded.
In essence, the report alleges that the rules were changed to favor the executive’s daughter, allowing her to make the national team despite a demonstrably poor performance. The anchor emphasizes the unfairness of the situation and the need for a full investigation.
