Yoon pledges overhaul of athlete environment

President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) gives a high-five to South Korean Olympians at the Paris Olympics at a dinner he hosted at Shilla Seoul on Thursday. (Pool photo via Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday pledged to carry out an overhaul to ensure fair chances for young athletes and to create a better training environment, as he and his wife Kim Keon Hee hosted a dinner for South Korean Olympians who competed at the Paris Games.

Some 270 participants -- including athletes and family members, as well as coaches, members of sports associations and other staff -- attended the event at Shilla Seoul.

According to the presidential office, Yoon told participants he would work to ditch outdated customs to ensure a fair chance for any athlete in any sport to compete free of constraints, and to encourage young athletes to obtain training in a more advanced environment.

South Korea's Olympic delegation in Paris comprising 144 athletes ranked eighth in the medal tally, winning 13 gold medals, nine silvers and 10 bronzes, far overachieving in its goal of clinching five golds.

A surprise revelation in Paris by badminton women's single champion An Se-young, however, triggered a probe by the Sports Ministry into the South Korean badminton association's alleged flaws in its operations and management of athletes. An, 22, was present at the dinner event.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)