It has been revealed that the head of the wrestling club at a middle school in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, assaulted a player by striking his head with a shovel, citing unsatisfactory training attitude. Related organizations are demanding special measures to eradicate violence in the sports community.
According to Yonhap News on the 14th, the incident occurred on June 5th at a middle school wrestling venue in Sangju. The coach struck a student's head with a shovel during training, inflicting injuries so severe that the wound had to be stapled with a medical stapler. However, both the coach and the student did not report the assault, leading to the incident being concealed for almost two months.
On the 28th of last month, the victim student was rescued by his father after attempting to make an extreme choice, during which he revealed the fact of the assault, bringing the situation to light.
In response, the school reported the coach to the police on charges of child abuse. The Korea Sport Ethics Center (K-SEC), which received the report from the North Gyeongsang Wrestling Association, assigned a researcher on the 12th to investigate the matter.
The Korea Athletic Parents' Coalition issued a statement on the 13th, saying, "The abusive coach struck the middle school athlete's head with the blade of a shovel, causing serious injury, and the victim student subsequently suffered ongoing violence, leading to an attempt at an extreme choice," adding that "this is a complete failure of educational institutions and sports administration to protect student athletes and a serious violation of human rights."
The coalition pointed out that "this incident is not a simple individual deviation but a clear example revealing the structure of violence and concealment prevalent throughout the sports community." They demanded criminal punishment and permanent disqualification of the abusive coach, along with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education announcing special measures to eradicate violence in school sports teams.
The Sports Human Rights Research Institute, Cultural Solidarity, and Citizens' Sports Coalition also stated, "The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must hold schools and education offices accountable for neglecting and condoning violence, and establish an environment and system where student athletes can receive education safely."