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| Jan Blokhuijsen, left, stands with his teammates on the podium during the medial ceremony at the PyeongChang Olympics, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
Dutch skater Jan Blokhuijsen has issued an apology for his remark that sparked a dog meat at the PyeongChang Olympics.
Blokhuijsen, who was thrust into the spotlight after urging Koreans to "treat dogs better" at Wednesday's press conference, said Friday that he was wrong to make that comment.
"It was never my intention to insult the Korean people or the Korean culture," he said in a statement. "I made a remark about the treatment of dogs in Korea and should not have done that. The podium of the Olympic Games is meant to be for sport and not for these sort of outings."
He noted he is concerned about the welfare of animals in his personal life. "But I should not have spoken out on this personal matter at this time … I am convinced that the stage and timing of this was wrong," he said.
"I am thankful to Korea for hosting a great Olympics. And I deeply regret that my remarks might have taken away pleasure for people who are enjoying the Olympics. It is my personal view and do apologize to my team mates for bringing them in discredit."
After the issue came to the fore, many Koreans expressed anger, claiming that it was racist and ignorant of a different culture. Some urged the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee to make a complaint to the International Olympic Committee.
Jeroen Bijl, head of the Netherlands' team at the Games, also apologized for the comment, saying he and his athletes respect Korea's culture.
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