Former short track national team Victro Ahn (38, Korean name Ahn Hyun-soo)’s attempt to return to Korea failed.
In December of last year, Victor Ahn applied for the ice team coach of the workplace sports department at Seongnam City Hall, Gyeonggi Province, but he was not selected for the final double. Kim Seon-tae, former coach of the Chinese national short track team, is also known to have suffered. Seongnam City said that it comprehensively judged various factors through documents and interviews. It is said that public opinion and media reports in the ice skating world were also reflected. The final results of the recruitment will be announced on the 31st.
Victor Ahn was a representative of Korean short track speed skating. He won three gold medals at the 2006 Torrey Olympic Games. After that, his playing career was in crisis. The long-standing faction fight between the Korea Ice Skating Federation’s short track team and the dissolution of Seongnam City Hall, which belonged to the team in 2010,메이저사이트 were intertwined. Eventually, in December 2011, he became a naturalized citizen of Russia. His skills were still there. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he swept the short track men’s 500m, 1000m, and 5000m relay races. However, he was involved in a doping scandal in Russia and was unable to participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
After finishing his active duty life, he transformed into a leader. He took over as the technical coach of the Chinese national team in 2020. Along with coach Kim Seon-tae, he also contributed greatly to China winning 4 medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. After his contract expired, he notified the Chinese Skating Federation that he had no intention of remaining. According to Chinese media, he received an offer of a long-term coaching contract from a third national team, not Korea or Russia, but declined. He tried to return to the domestic stage through Seongnam City Hall, his parent team, but it did not come true.
The negative gaze toward Viktor Ahn is strong. When the fact that Viktor Ahn supported Seongnam City Hall became known, the Korea Ice Skating Leaders Federation issued a statement and criticized it. “If you look at the open recruitment process for short track coaches in Seongnam City, there are several things to be concerned about. We urge the appointment of a director that meets the public eye level,” he said. The situation at the time of his naturalization was also pinched. The Federation of Skating Leaders explained, “When Viktor Ahn was naturalized as a Russian citizen, there was a controversy about betraying his country, and he explained that he knew that dual citizenship would be possible.” However, it was later revealed that he had received his pension as a lump sum right before his naturalization. He was trying to get away with lies.”