Seoul: The national short track speed skating team has welcomed back Kim Sun-tae as their temporary head coach, as announced by the Korea Skating Union (KSU). This strategic move comes as the country prepares for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, now less than six months away.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Sun-tae previously led South Korea to an impressive performance at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, where the team secured three gold medals, one silver medal, and two bronze medals, outperforming all other nations in terms of gold and total medal count. However, his tenure was marred by controversy when he was suspended for a year due to a lack of oversight regarding the abuse of star skater Shim Suk-hee by assistant coach Cho Jae-beom.
Following his suspension, Kim took on the role of head coach for the Chinese national team and achieved considerable success, guiding them to two gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal at the Beijing Winter Games in 2022. Upon his return to South Korea, Kim coached the semi-pro club for Seongnam City Hall, which is home to several prominent skaters, including three-time Olympic champion Choi Min-jeong.
The KSU's decision to appoint Kim comes after the reassignment and dismissal of the previous head coach and assistant coach, whose identities remain undisclosed. Both had faced suspensions due to allegations of embezzling training funds during an overseas competition. Despite their appeals and subsequent reinstatement by the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee and a court ruling, the KSU chose to remove them from their positions due to poor team performances and professionalism issues.
The dismissal of the former coaches awaits finalization by the KSU's human resources and fair competition committees. South Korea remains the most successful country in Olympic short track history, boasting a total of 26 gold, 16 silver, and 11 bronze medals.