A former Korea Basketball Association (KBA) vice chairman has received a suspended two-year jail sentence for helping to rig high school basketball games in 2008.
The Busan court also handed down suspended sentences to two former referees for receiving money from coaches in scholastic and other amateur competitions in exchange for favorable calls.
According to the court, former vice chairman Jin Seong-ho, 62, received a total of 26 million won (about $25,300) from the coach of a girls' high school team and players' parents in 16 exchanges since February 2008. In exchange, Jin pressured referees to make favorable calls
Jin was also fined 26 million won fine, matching the amount he received for helping to rig the games.
The two former referees ― identified as Choi, 35, and Oh, 41 ― each received one-year suspended jail sentences. Choi had received 10 million won from seven amateur-level coaches over two years since 2010. Oh received the same amount from 13 coaches for five years since 2007.
Korean sports have been struggling to combat cheating, with the top professional divisions in basketball, baseball, football and volleyball exposed for match-fixing in recent years.
While the government has vowed to purge the leagues from the influence of gamblers and fixers, critics say that the problems are rooted in scholastic sports ― an allegedly corrupt and exploitative system for feeding talent to the professionals.
For athletes to join top college programs, which give them a better chance at having professional careers, their high school teams are often required to do well in national tournaments. This fuels a ''win-at-all-costs'' attitude that breeds corruption, critics say.
The Busan court also handed down suspended sentences to two former referees for receiving money from coaches in scholastic and other amateur competitions in exchange for favorable calls.
According to the court, former vice chairman Jin Seong-ho, 62, received a total of 26 million won (about $25,300) from the coach of a girls' high school team and players' parents in 16 exchanges since February 2008. In exchange, Jin pressured referees to make favorable calls
Jin was also fined 26 million won fine, matching the amount he received for helping to rig the games.
The two former referees ― identified as Choi, 35, and Oh, 41 ― each received one-year suspended jail sentences. Choi had received 10 million won from seven amateur-level coaches over two years since 2010. Oh received the same amount from 13 coaches for five years since 2007.
Korean sports have been struggling to combat cheating, with the top professional divisions in basketball, baseball, football and volleyball exposed for match-fixing in recent years.
While the government has vowed to purge the leagues from the influence of gamblers and fixers, critics say that the problems are rooted in scholastic sports ― an allegedly corrupt and exploitative system for feeding talent to the professionals.
For athletes to join top college programs, which give them a better chance at having professional careers, their high school teams are often required to do well in national tournaments. This fuels a ''win-at-all-costs'' attitude that breeds corruption, critics say.
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