INCHEON (Yonhap News) ― South Korean Olympic swimming star Park Tae-hwan said Thursday that he hopes to turn a new chapter in his career now that he’s found a new home.
Park joined the Incheon City Hall team in a signing ceremony held at the municipal government complex. The 23-year-old will receive an annual salary paid by the city, though financial details were not disclosed.
Park, an Olympic gold medalist and a two-time world champ, had been without a team since last September, when the sports wing of the mobile giant SK Telecom, his long-time management agency, decided not to renew its four-year deal with the swimmer.
Park also found himself at the center of a controversial decision by the national swimming governing body in January not to grant him his financial reward for winning medals at the London Olympics. He said signing with the city hall team will hopefully start a chain of positive developments.
“After the Olympics, I’ve been feeling empty and hurt,” Park said.
“But after going through some difficult times, good things have happened to me. I think this will also lead to good results in the pool.”
At a board meeting two months ago, the Korea Swimming Federation ruled that it would not give Park his 50 million won ($44,950) for winning two silver medals in London.
Without explaining why the money was being withheld, the federation said it would instead use the money to cover training expenses for young divers.
Many suspected, however, that the federation executives were none too pleased that Park had declined to attend some KSF-organized functions after the London Olympics.
Critics of the move also said the KSF may also not have been too happy when Park wanted to go home early after his races were done in London, while the federation officials wanted Park to stay and cheer on other South Korean athletes who were still competing.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
