Key Activities
Though no incidents of physical assault was reported, several instances were observed of
shouting, cursing, verbal abuse, personal insults by coaches or directors toward young athletes.
These happened in and outside the venues during competition, time-outs, or post-game because
athletes didn’t do well or they lost. The open use of violent words and actions by sports leaders in
the presence of spectators, parents, athletes, and trainers may be an established practice in training
young athletes.
The Commission will continue monitoring to ensure that human rights are respected during
sporting events. It will also maintain cooperation with the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee
and other stakeholders, and present guidelines to eradicate human rights violations and the
authoritarian culture in sports.
Investigations and remedies for victims
The Commission operates various media channels such as phone, KakaoTalk, and e-mails to
give victims greater accessibility to report their case or get counseling, as it can be challenging for
them to make a report given the unique structure of the sports world.
Until December 31, the Commission received 127 reports, of which 14 were recommended
remedies during investigation and 13 were resolved during investigation. The rate of remedied
cases is relatively high at 22%.
The Commission made improvement recommendations for the following cases: a local
government renewing contract with a coach who has a history of violence, human rights
infringement caused by a partial investigation of the Sports Committee; unfair competition entry
for a student athlete because he/she changed school; a sporting event organizer restricting entry
by athletes at their own expense; a youth sports festival discriminating female athletes in the
application guide; a student athlete limited in entering a competition because he/she changed
school; human rights violation by a coach who instructed athletes to undergo physical examination
naked; student athletes’ privacy violated in college living quarters; abusive language by a sports
association executive; and unjustified physical punishment by a school coach.
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