“Why a Russian, of all people?” ... Controversy over Viktor Ahn’s appearance on a Korean variety show after seven years

[Financial News] Netizens are divided over news that Viktor Ahn (41, Ahn Hyun-soo), a former member of South Korea’s national short-track team who naturalized as a Russian citizen, will appear on a Korean variety show for the first time in seven years. Opinions are split over whether it was appropriate to recruit a skater who gave up South Korean citizenship as a coach for a domestic short-track variety show.
TV Chosun announced on the 10th that Viktor Ahn would appear as a hidden coach on “Speed Queen,” a short-track variety show set to premiere on the 25th. His appearance on a Korean variety show comes about seven years after MBC’s “Real Men 300,” which ended in January 2019.
“Speed Queen” follows short-track skaters as they train and take on challenges with the goal of competing in the national team trials. Head coach Jeon I-kyung and coach Kim A-lang are among those taking part, and Viktor Ahn is reported to have agreed to appear after receiving an offer from Jeon.
In a teaser released ahead of the broadcast, Viktor Ahn introduced himself, saying, “Hello, I’m Ahn Hyun-soo, a short-track gold medalist who will be serving as the hidden coach on Speed Queen.” He added, “It’s about giving it everything you’ve got, as if your life depended on it, so they can grow beyond what they want for themselves,” and said he would do his best to coach the skaters.
After news of his appearance broke, online communities and social media (SNS) were divided over the decision to recruit Viktor Ahn.
Netizens opposed to his appearance questioned the decision, saying, “Why go out of your way to recruit someone with Russian citizenship?”, “There are plenty of other excellent South Korean short-track skaters,” and “Does someone who isn’t even a South Korean citizen have the qualifications to coach athletes aiming to compete in the national team trials?”
Others said there was no problem with his appearance, given his athletic career and coaching ability. They responded positively, saying, “He’s certainly the greatest skater in short-track history,” and “Just think of him as a foreign coach.”
Viktor Ahn won three gold medals at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, where he competed for South Korea. He acquired Russian citizenship in 2011 and won three gold medals again at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
After his bid to compete at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics fell through, Viktor Ahn retired from competition in 2020 and chose a career in coaching. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he served as a coach for China’s national short-track team.
In 2023, he applied for a coaching position with Seongnam City Hall’s skating team in Gyeonggi Province, seeking to work as a coach in South Korea, but was eliminated after failing to make the final pool of candidates, which was twice the number of available positions. At the time, his naturalization as a Russian citizen and potential return to coaching in South Korea also sparked controversy.
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter