Seoul City to honor Canadian skating coach

`김연아 코치` 오서, 서울 명예시민 된다



김연아 선수의 코치 브라이언 오서(48)가 서울시 명예시민이 된다. 서울시 관계자는 “오서 코치가 김 선수를 지도해 밴쿠버 동계올림픽에서 금메달을 딸 수 있게 이끄는 등 스포츠 발전에 기여한 공적을 인정해 명예시민으로 선정했다”며 “서울시의회에 동의안을 제출했다”고 18일 밝혔다. 서울시는 오서 코치가 다음달 14일 잠실체조경기장에서 열리는 ‘2010 페스타 온 아이스’에 참가하기 위해 김 선수와 방한하면 명예시민증을 줄 예정이다.



Seoul City has decided to give honorary citizenship to Brian Orser, the Canadian coach of Olympic figure skating gold medalist Kim Yu-na, for his contribution to the country`s sports development.

The metropolitan government has submitted a motion to the Seoul Metropolitan Council, calling for its consent on the offering of the citizenship, officials said yesterday.

The city plans to confer the honorary-citizen certificate to Orser when he and Kim come to Korea to participate in "Festa on Ice 2010," a star-studded ice show to be held from April 16-18 in Seoul.

"We have selected Orser as an honorary citizen to recognize his achievements in contributing to the enhancement of the country`s sports, including having led Kim to clinch the figure skating gold," said a senior city official, refusing to be named.

Orser, 48, began coaching Kim in 2006, who won Korea`s first Olympic figure skating gold in Vancouver last month.



Orser, who retired in 1988, had a successful skating career himself. He won silver at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics and the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. He finished first at the World Championships in 1987.

Honorary citizens can participate in a variety of municipal events as VIPs and enter city-run facilities free of charge such as the Seoul Museum of History, Seoul Grand Park and the Seoul Museum of Art.

The city has been offering honorary citizenship to foreigners each year since 1959 to recognize their contributions to developing and promoting Korea. The number of those given the award so far totals 607 people from 90 nations.

Previous recipients include former national football team coach Guus Hiddink of the Netherlands, former U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill, American football player Hines Ward and Susan Cox, vice president of Holt International Children`s Services.

(sshluck@heraldm.com)



By Song Sang-ho