Ex-Olympic champion gets 10-year ban in South Korea

Baku. 4 January. REPORT.AZ/ South Korea's weightlifting authorities on Monday suspended an Olympic gold medalist for 10 years for allegedly beating up a junior weightlifter.

Report informs citing the foreign media, local media reported that Sa Jae-hyouk, who won the 77-kilogram division at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, attacked fellow athlete Hwang Woo-man near a bar in the city of Chuncheon on Thursday, leaving the 21-year-old with injuries that require six weeks of medical treatment.

Police in Chuncheon could not immediately confirm the reports, which said that police had questioned Sa.

The Korea Weightlifting Federation said in a statement that it is "deeply sorry for causing a concern to the public" by the alleged incident.

Hwang told South Korean media that Sa attacked him because he talked to acquaintances about a previous incident involving the pair.