Civic groups file petition with human rights body against athletes' Marine Corps boot camp
athletes-boot camp
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) — Four civic groups jointly filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog on Thursday against a recent training camp set up at a Marine Corps base for South Korean athletes, calling the arrangement “a punitive boot camp” that violated athletes’ basic rights.
The Committee for Culture, Art and Sports at Lawyers for a Democratic Society, also known as Minbyun, was among the civic groups that filed the complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Their move came one day after the conclusion of the three-day Marine Corps camp, organized by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) for 400 athletes for national teams in various sports.
South Korean athletes form the Olympic rings at a square in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, during their Marine Corps training camp on Dec. 19, 2023. (Yonhap)
KSOC President Lee Kee-heung had first announced plans to run the boot camp on Oct. 8, at the end of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Citing South Korea’s subpar performance at the continental competition, Lee said he wanted to toughen up national team athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics by putting them at a Marine camp. In Hangzhou, South Korea finished third behind China and Japan in the medal race with 42 gold medals, its lowest gold medal total since 1982.
Despite facing criticism for resorting to archaic training methods with serious injury risks, Lee went ahead with his plan this week at a camp in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.
Lee Kee-heung (L), president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, addresses athletes participating in a Marine Corps training camp in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Dec. 19, 2023. (Yonhap)
“The KSOC and its president, Lee Kee-heung, forced athletes into a punitive boot camp, which isn’t part of their regular training program, simply because of their poor performances at an international competition,” the four civic groups said in their petition. “The KSOC neglected its duty to protect athletes’ human rights, as stipulated in the International Olympic Committee Charter. Instead, it planned and ran a training camp against humanity. Standardized training methods that aren’t based on scientific data and that don’t take into account specific features of different sports may only cause decline in athletes’ performances.”
South Korean athletes take part in a drill inside a Marine Corps base in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Dec. 19, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Yu In-chon, minister of culture, sports and tourism, also criticized the boot camp this week. He called the KSOC’s decision to send athletes to a military camp for mental training “outdated” and said he was worried about potential injuries to athletes.
In response to persistent backlash, the KSOC insisted this week that the focus of the camp was more on developing mental toughness and fostering solidarity among athletes, and less on physical training.
Representatives of four civic groups hold a press conference outside the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) headquarters in Seoul on Dec. 21, 2023, after filing a petition with the NHRCK against the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee for running a Marine Corps boot camp for national team athletes. (Yonhap)
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