Hyo-jun Lim (25), a short track gold medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics who was naturalized to China, will not be able to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. An official from the Korea Sports Council said, "Today (15th) is the deadline for submission of the 'long list (preliminary list)', but there has been no contact from the Chinese Olympic Committee yet." This official explained, "If you do not submit a 'long list', it is virtually impossible to participate in the Olympics."
Lim Hyo-jun went downhill in June 2019 when he was charged with exposing body parts by pulling the team's junior's pants during physical training at the Jincheon National Athlete's Village weight training center (forced molestation). Hyo-Jun Lim, who received a one-year suspension from the Korean Skating Federation, requested a retrial to the Sports Fair Committee of the Korea Sports Association, but failed.
However, Article 41(2) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter caught him. According to this rule, in order for an athlete to change nationality and participate in the Olympics, three years must pass after the international competition in which the athlete participated in the previous nationality. Lim Hyo-jun, who participated in the International Skating Union (ISU) World Championships as a Korean national athlete on March 10, 2019, can participate in the Chinese national team after March 10, 2022. It starts on the 4th and ends on the 20th. It seems that Lim Hyo-jun did not properly understand the rules and decided to become naturalized in China.
There are exceptions. According to the charter, the grace period (3 years) can be shortened or canceled if the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the former nationality and the NOC of the current nationality and the International Federation (IF) of each sport agree. If the Korea Sports Council allows it, it means that Lim Hyo-jun can participate in the Beijing Olympics as a representative of China. Simply put, it is possible if the Chinese Olympic Committee sends a request for permission to participate in the Korea Sports Council and the Korean Sports Council accepts it. However, the Chinese Olympic Committee has not taken any action until today, the deadline for the application deadline. It showed that he had no intention of having Lim Hyo-jun competed in the Beijing Olympics in his home country as a Chinese athlete.
An official from the Korea Sports Association said, "It seems that China decided to send its own athlete rather than letting Lim Hyo-jun, who has just become naturalized, participate. “If the Chinese Olympic Committee asks for Lim Hyo-jun to participate in the Olympics, there is little chance that the Korean Sports Council will accept it,” he said.
After naturalization in China, Hyo-Jun Lim signed a contract with the Hebei Provincial Ice Skating Federation, not the China Skating Federation, and played as a playing coach in Hebei province, dreaming of participating in the Olympics, but China eventually turned away from him. The China Skating Federation has excluded Lim Hyo-jun from the list of banned substances tested for men's and women's short track speed skating for the 2021-22 season submitted to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last month. To participate in the first round of the Short Track World Cup to be held in Beijing, China from October 21st, you must pass a doping test, but your name was omitted from the test entry.
Hyo-Jun Lim was the ace of the men's short track team, winning the men's 1,500m gold and 500m bronze medals at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
In June 2019, a year and four months after the Pyeongchang Olympics, during physical training, he had to go through a difficult time as he was tried on charges of exposing body parts by pulling the pants of a junior in the national team.
Lim Hyo-jun denied the charges, saying he had no intention of sexual assault, but the first trial court admitted the charge and sentenced him to a fine of 3 million won.
However, the second trial overturned the verdict of not guilty, saying that it is difficult to see that it corresponds to sexual harassment.
The prosecution appealed, but the Supreme Court confirmed the lower court's verdict of not guilty at the appeals court last June.
After many twists and turns, legal punishment was avoided, but Hyo-Jun Lim could not even participate in the Winter Olympics, let alone dream of winning a gold medal for the second time in a row.