Death of Korean ace sparks call for inquiry

SOUTH KOREAN Olympic chiefs have demanded a full inquiry into the death of Asian Games equestrian rider Kim Hyung Chil to discover whether or not the competition, held in pouring rain, was mismanaged.

Kim, 47, died when his horse, Bundaberg Black, hit a fence and stumbled, tossing him to the ground during the individual cross country competition.

The mare fell on top of him and the Seoul resident, 47, never regained consciousness.

“We met with officials and all agreed that this accident should be fully investigated to get to the cause,” said South Korea National Olympic Committee president Kim Jung Kil.

“We want to know if it was the rain or mismanagement of the competition. We talked to the Korean equestrian federation representative at the course and he said that the horse mistimed its jump and slipped.

“We have doubts over the schedule being too tight and the fatigue of the horses. The Games organising committee and the Asian equestrian federation should look into this matter.”

However, Kim said that the rest of the huge Korean delegation in Qatar will carry on with their gold medal push out of respect for their deceased teammate.