Pricha defends taekwondo coach Choi, says he is dedicated
The vice president of the Thailand Taekwondo Association, Pricha Tortrakul, yesterday, defended national coach Choi Young-seuk over allegations that he physically assaulted his trainee Rungrawee Kurasa.
The 23-year-old Rungrawee, who won a bronze medal in the women’s 62kg class in the Asian Games, had announced earlier that she would quit the national squad after her return from the Korea Open Taekwondo Tournament in Gyeongju. She alleged that she was beaten up by her “moody” South Korean coach after her disappointing 12-6 defeat against a South Korean rival in the opening round.
Pricha, who is also the chairman of the selection committee, said he had called all the staff coaches, including Choi, who are at the ongoing Korea Open, to get a firsthand account of the incident.
“The staff coaches and Choi have told us what was wrong there in South Korea and what was the real cause. They gave us the details of the incident and the cause of Rungrawee’s defeat. Certainly, the lack of proper preparations by Thai exponents ahead of the contest has deeply disappointed Choi, who is very serious about his job,” said Pricha.
“Choi is a very dedicated coach. He puts in utmost efforts while carrying out his tasks. Rungrawee’s claim that she was not well prepared for the contest might have disappointed Choi who punished the exponent. Those who have been punished by the coach became well-disciplined athletes afterwards and did well in major competitions, including the Olympic Games.
“One thing we have to accept is that, taekwondo is a combat sport. Every exponent must be dedicated. Earlier, we had hired Thai coaches and found the results of the exponents disappointing and well below the international standards. We all know that most of the Thai exponents are not dedicated and indisciplined. When trained by coach Choi, they have dramatically improved their performances.
“I think coach Choi cares about Rungrawee very much. If not, he would not have blamed her for the disappointing defeat. I think we know how to punish the taekwondo exponents. Credit for the Thai success must entirely go to coach Choi. Thai exponents, from generation to generation, have learned a lot from him. We must not forget Thailand’s success in the Olympic Games, including Buttree Puedpong’s silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Games,” said Pricha.
The vice president, however, said an investigation will be conducted once the taekwondo squad returns to the country on July 17. “There is transparency in our taekwondo society. We will judge the merits of the case once the team comes back from South Korea,” he said.
