Report: South Korea short track coach suspended for striking skater

Seoul (dpa) - A coach in the South Korean short track team has been suspended for striking a skater just three weeks ahead of the home Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.The unnamed coach has been suspended by the Korea Skating Union (KSU) for allegedly assaulting Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk Hee, according to the South Korean agency Yonhap late Thursday."Shim went AWOL from the Jincheon National Training Centre on Tuesday after a disturbing incident with a coach on the national team," Yonhap quoted an anonymous source from within the skating community. Shim has reportedly since returned to the training centre.The 20-year-old Shim anchored South Korea to gold in the 3,000-meter relay at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, while also winning individual silver and bronze medals."We suspended the coach after being informed of the incident by the national team," a KSU representative was quoted by Yonhap. "We‘re still in the process of confirming what exactly happened."The Games in Pyeongchang begin February 9.