Sports Briefs

FOOTBALL

Lee Chung-yong won’t be loaned out to Wanderers

Crystal Palace’s Korean midfielder Lee Chung-yong will not be loaned out to his former club Bolton Wanderers, the player’s management agency said Thursday.

Inspokorea said Lee’s loan deal fell apart following a request from Palace manager Roy Hodgson. The Seoul-based agency previously said the 29-year-old will be loaned out to Bolton, where Lee played from 2009 to 2015 before signing with Palace.

“Following Bakary Sako’s injury, Hodgson apparently made an urgent request that they cannot release Lee,” Inspokorea said in a release.

Lee, whose contract with Palace expires in June, was looking for a way to get more time on the pitch. The former FC Seoul man played only 109 minutes in three Premier League matches for Palace this season.

“It makes me flustered as the loan deal was canceled due to my teammate’s sudden injury,” Lee said through Inspokorea. “I’ll forget what’s happened. Now, I’ll just try hard and give my best on the pitch for the remainder of the season.”

VOLLEYBALL

Kim Yeon-koung to attend snow volleyball exhibition

Korean volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung will visit the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics and attend a snow volleyball exhibition event, her agency said Thursday.

Kim, who is currently playing for the Chinese team Shanghai, will return home Feb. 13 and watch the races of Korean short track skaters at Gangneung, a sub-host city of the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Games, according to Inspo Korea.

The 29-year-old volleyball player led the Korean team to claim a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, where she was judged the most valuable player and the best scorer.

The next day, Kim will attend the snow volleyball exhibition along with other Olympic stars at the Austria House, located in the main Olympic venue of Pyeongchang, at the request of the Austrian volleyball body.

ICE HOCKEY

Women’s hockey arena adds locker stalls for joint team

The arena for women’s hockey games during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics has added locker stalls to accommodate the joint Korean squad, an official for the venue said Thursday.

Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung, home of all ice events, and located just east of PyeongChang, has recently completed an expansion of its locker room and has installed 35 stalls for the unified Korean team.

All other teams have the regular entry of 23 players.

But in a landmark deal approved by the International Olympic Committee, 23 South Korean players have been joined by 12 North Koreans for the Feb. 9-25 Olympics.

Yonhap