From elaborate posts, incredulous reactions and downright curses, net users, not limited to South Koreans, erupted in anger [1] when Russian figure skater Adelina Sotnikova won gold [2] over South Korean figure-skating legend Yuna Kim [3] at the women's free skating event at Sochi.
Immediately after the results were announced, many questioned the crowning of Sotnikova, and even an insider alleged that the competition was rigged [4]. News reports began to appear on the judges’ panel [5] for the women’s free skate, which was comprised of four judges from Eastern Europe (Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, and Slovakia). The Russian judge is famously married to [6] the general director and past president of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia [7], and the Ukrainian judge has a shameful past record of receiving a year-long suspension [8] for a vote-trading deal.
For many online, it appeared to be a case of stolen gold for South Korea's beloved figure skating queen. Some net users took a proactive approach: an online petition [9] demanding an investigation into the scoring decisions and a do-over judgment received 1.9 million signatures in less than two days. Others vented their anger with humor, giving way to images mocking the Russian player's stumble [10] [ko] by photoshopping her into different scenes.
이 분 제가 비보이대회에서 봤는데요; pic.twitter.com/jIkTnPjSFC [11]
— 애교 (@_Yeong7) February 20, 2014 [12]
I think I've seen her at a B-boy dance competition.
저분 엑소 커버댄서랍니다 글 내려주세요 pic.twitter.com/3426mYh3k9 [13]
— 코뿔소박스 (@kobox00) February 20, 2014 [14]
[Fake correction request] I heard that woman is a cover dancer for Exo [K-pop boy group], please remove your wrong post.
Many jokes were made about possible revenge at the 2018 Olympics, which will be hosted by South Korean city of Pyeongchang [15]:
재미있는 트윗 글들…”두고봐라, 평창에서 보자 이것들아. 이상화 선수가 피겨에서 금메달 따는 걸 보여주겠다!”.. “편파? 흥! 우리에게도 비장의 무기가 있다. 평창에서는 검찰과 국정원이 심판 볼 거다!”
— 백찬홍 (@mindgood) February 21, 2014 [16]
There were so many hilarious tweets about this result. One says, “Wait till we host the Olympics at Pyeongchang. We will make you watch [famous speed skater [17] of South Korea] Lee Sang-hwa winning a gold medal at figure skating”. One tweeted, “The rigging? We have a few tricks up our sleeve for that. It would be none other than our National Intelligence Service and prosecutors who will be judging the Pyeongchang Olympic games” [a reference to the spy agency's election meddling scandal [18]].
미리보는 평창ㅇ올림픽이랰ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ pic.twitter.com/bgr02vfxBc [19]
— 시루 (@SEERU_) February 21, 2014 [20]
They say this is a preview of the Pyeongchang Olympics. [The photoshopped image shows a traditional drum performer figure-skating] lol.lol.
여자피겨 진짜 올림픽 챔피언은…. 이 분. pic.twitter.com/dXj8WCOoHz [21]
— jungkwon chin (@unheim) February 21, 2014 [22]
The real champion of women’s figure skating at the Olympics is … him.