South Korean Park to get London Games soccer medal

LAUSANNE: South Korean footballer Park Jong-woo will receive his bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics despite triggering a diplomatic row in a match against Japan, an Olympic source told Reuters on Tuesday.
The midfielder had held up a sign referring to a territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan while celebrating a 2-0 win over their fierce rivals in the bronze medal game in London in August.
“The athlete will be given his medal,” said the source with knowledge of the case which was discussed by the IOC Executive Board on Tuesday.
“The IOC also issued a warning to the player and to the Korea Olympic Committee,” he said.
“The Korean Olympic Committee must also deliver a report to the IOC as to how to educate the athlete so that this does not happen again.” Park was handed a sign, which read “Dokdo is our territory,” by a fan and was then forced to skip the medal ceremony. He was also banned by soccer’s governing body FIFA for two games and fined 3,500 Swiss francs in December.
The IOC is set to announce its decision later on Tuesday.