“Please help the players to be with the manager they want.”
Former short track speed skater Viktor Ahn (38, Korean name Ahn Hyeon-soo), who left Korea and became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2011, applied to coach the ice team at Seongnam City Hall, Gyeonggi Province, but was rejected. In the early morning of the 31st, athletes belonging to the Seongnam City Hall ice team, including Choi Min-jeong (25), a Korean female short track skater, issued an appeal to “select fairly and transparently” regarding the hiring of ice team coaches.
Player Choi said on Instagram that day, “I and other players from Seongnam City Hall posted the statement submitted to Seongnam City on January 9, right before the announcement of the appointment of a coach at Seongnam City Hall, on social media. I am posting the word that I am,” and released a’player position statement on coach recruitment’.
In the statement, the players of the Seongnam City Hall ice department said, “I think that this coach selection process should be fair and transparent above all else, rather than selection by external influence.” It’s a team. In order to lead such a great team, I think that among the applicants, a coach with the best coaching and managerial experience, excellent competence, and communicative ability should come.”
He added, “I desperately want the people concerned to help me with this,” adding, “As a player belonging to Seongnam City, I will repay you with good grades.”
In the statement, Choi Min-jung, Lee Jun-seo, Kim Gil-li, Kim Gun-hee, Kim Da-gyeom, and Seo Beom-seok were named. Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Kim Gun-hee, and Lee Jun-seo are the national short track team for the 2022-2023 season.
● “Leader virtues take a back seat… sad heart”
Choi Min-jung, who released the statement, said, “I have been training for a long time in the absence of a coach dedicated to short track at Seongnam City Hall, my team. As such, I think that he is a person with excellent leadership experience, excellent competence, and can communicate well with the players, and I sincerely hope that such a leader will be with me.”
▲ Athletes such as Choi Min-jeong, the national short-track speed skater celebrating the Year of the Cat in 2023, are training at the New Year’s Training Open Media Day held on the 27th of last year at the Jincheon Training Center of the Korean Olympic Committee in Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. 2023.1.1/News 1
“It seems too cautious and arrogant to make a statement regarding what kind of leader a player wants, but the reason why I took courage nonetheless is because of the recent articles and stories surrounding the appointment of a coach at Seongnam City Hall, the most important reason for a leader’s existence and virtues It is because it is in the background and social issues are the main reason, and the players feel sorry for them.”
Choi Min-jeong said, “What Seongnam City Hall short track athletes want is to be in a situation where they can do their best in training and competitions, nothing more, nothing less.” I want to give it to you.”
He added, “After all, it is the players who play the game,” and added, “Please help the players to be with the coach they want.”
▲ Victor Ahn (37, Korean name Ahn Hyeon-soo), a former short track national team member, is entering the waiting room to attend the ‘Seongnam City Hall ice team coach position open interview’ held at Seongnam City Hall in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do on the followingnoon of the 12th. (Co-report) 2023.1.12/News 1
Meanwhile, Seongnam City posted a job announcement on December 19 last year to select a coach for the skating team. Seven people, including Victor Ahn and former coach Kim Seon-tae (46), who led the Chinese national team at the Beijing Winter Olympics, applied.
When this fact became known, the Korea Skating Leaders Federation issued a statement and criticized the two’s actions.
On the 29th, Seongnam City said, “Seven people, including Viktor Ahn and former Chinese national short track team coach Kim Seon-tae, applied for the recruitment screening for the ice team coach position at City Hall, but Victor Ahn and the other two applicants did not make the top two multiple candidates.”
A city official explained, “Through the screening of documents and interviews, various factors such as technology and communication skills were comprehensively judged.”
Seongnam City Hall will announce the final successful candidates for the coaching position on the same day.
Reporter Kim Min-ji
