Sports Briefs

WEIGHT LIFTING

Sa hit with a 10-year ban after New Year’s Eve assault

Former Olympic weight lifting champion Sa Jae-hyouk was given a 10-year suspension from the Korea Weightlifting Federation (KWF) following his assault on a fellow weight lifter on New Year’s Eve.

The KWF on Monday held an athletes’ committee meeting to punish Sa. The 30-year-old over the weekend was already questioned by the Chuncheon Police for his assault on the 21-year-old weight lifter Hwang Woo-man.

The punishment from the KWF will ban Sa from competing in the upcoming Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro and possibly end his weight lifting career, considering his age.

Sa was the gold medalist in the men’s 77-kilogram division at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was known for his tenacity, as he continued competing despite undergoing surgery seven times for weight lifting-related injuries.

According to the police, Sa met Hwang on Dec. 31 at a bar in Chuncheon, Gangwon, to clear up misunderstandings over their incident in February, in which Sa reportedly slapped Hwang in the face.

But during the talk, Sa apparently became outraged at Hwang and later claimed that he “accidentally” pummelled the weight lifter.

Hwang, the silver medalist at the 2014 junior world championships in the men’s over-105 kilograms, has been hospitalized since then and reportedly requires at least six weeks to recover.

Sa visited Hwang to apologize after the incident, but Hwang and his family have yet to accept.

FOOTBALL

Jeonbuk signs two players from the Pohang Steelers

The 2015 K-League Classic champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors announced on Monday that they have signed forward Ko Moo-yeol and defender Choi Jae-soo from the Pohang Steelers. Details of their contracts weren’t announced.

Ko, 25, made his pro debut with the Steelers in 2011. He has 35 goals and 17 assists in 158 games.

Choi, 32, is a left back who previously played with FC Seoul, Ulsan Hyundai and the Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

They are Jeonbuk’s fourth and fifth signing after the team clinched its fourth K-League title in 2015.

Jeonbuk previously inked deals with Jeonnam Dragons forward Lee Jong-ho and defender Lim Jong-eun, as well as midfielder Kim Bo-kyung from the Japanese club Matsumoto Yamaga.

Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee said on Monday that the team will sign a defensive midfielder and striker in the winter transfer market.

By JOO KYUNG-DON