LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A South Korean soccer player who displayed a political banner at the London Olympics will get his bronze medal back, the IOC announced Tuesday.
Park Jong Woo was issued with just a warning for his actions after his team’s 2-0 victory over Japan, the IOC executive board ruled. South Korea’s Olympic committee will be warned and required to educate its athletes about competition rules.
Park must receive his medal “without fanfare or publicity,” as a condition of the sanction, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said.
The IOC withheld Park’s medal after the Aug. 10 match pending a disciplinary hearing, which was held Monday in Lausanne.
Park displayed a sign in national colors after the game in Cardiff, Wales, which was played amid sensitive diplomatic relations at home.
The slogan said “Dokdo is our territory” in Korean to support his country’s sovereignty over islets also claimed by Japan.