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| Figure skater You Young practices at the Taereung National Training Center's ice rink in Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap |
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| Speed skater Lee Sang-hwa leaves for Canada on Jan. 14 from Incheon International Airport to join the national team's training camp. / Yonhap |
The Korea Skating Union's (KSU) latest move to support talented figure skating prospects is great news for You Young, but a disappointment for speed skater Lee Sang-hwa, who lost her national team eligibility after sitting out a national competition.
The KSU said Sunday it has come up with a set of new measures aimed at supporting young figure skating prodigies. These include allowing them to train at the Taereung National Training Center and consult with the national team's coaching staff. They will also be named to the national reserve team so that they can benefit from programs that bring foreign coaches to Korea and receive medical care at the national team's designated hospital.
The new policy in truth targets You, 11, who won this year's national figure skating championship to replace legendary skater Kim Yu-na as Korea's youngest-ever ladies champion. You was discharged from the national team because of a recently modified KSU directive that stipulates that all members of the national junior team should be 13 years or older, and members of the national senior team 15 or older.
But the move to support the young skater comes just a week after the KSU took a firm stance against Lee competing at the fifth World Cup event in Stavanger, Norway, from Jan. 29 to 31. Lee, who lost national team eligibility after skipping a national competition, claimed she had been unaware of the modified KSU statute that requires national team members to compete in domestic competitions to maintain eligibility. The KSU argued that it had informed her coach and her agency several times about the changed rule.
Lee's absence from the Stavanger World Cup event could deal a significant blow to her world ranking. She sits at the world No. 1 ranking with 680 points, 120 points ahead of American Heather Richardson and 170 points ahead of Chinese Zhang Hong.
Given that each race awards 100 points to the winner, 80 points to the runner-up and 70 points to third place, Richardson could collect at least 140 points should she place in the top three in two races in Stavanger. Richardson could easily overtake Lee at the top of the world rankings.
Lee acknowledged that she should have been better informed about the KSU's regulations, but expressed hopes of competing at the World Cup event, should KSU allow it, so that she can maintain her form ahead of the World Cup finals, set for March. But KSU stood firm, saying "rules must apply fairly to all athletes."
The KSU may argue that no one is at a disadvantage with the new policy that supports You and that tweaking the rules for Lee would be unfair to other speed skaters in the same boat she is in. Fostering new talent in skating is also an important job for the KSU.
But the problem is that the KSU's decision to salvage You comes too soon after a decision not to salvage Lee.
If the union is determined to hold fast to its principles, it is questionable why a body dedicated to the development of Korean skating was unable to help Lee, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, when she needed it most, and why it applied its rules strictly on Lee and loosely on You.
Meanwhile, sports agency All That Sports, home to Kim Yu-na, said Monday it has signed a three-year management deal with You.
"I began skating after seeing Kim win the gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics," You said. "I have always dreamed of becoming a respectable figure skater like Kim. I'm honored to have joined her agency."
Skaters Park So-youn, Kim Hae-jin, Lee June-hyoung and Kim Jin-seo are also clients of All That Sports.
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