Tragedy struck the Asian Games yesterday when an experienced
South Korean equestrian rider died after his horse threw him from
the saddle then crushed him underfoot.
The horse, Bundaberg Black, hit a fence and stumbled, tossing
Kim Hyung-chil to the ground during the individual cross country
competition. The mare fell on top of him and the Seoul resident,
47, never regained consciousness.
He was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead soon after. The
horse survived with no noticeable injury.
"We have opened a formal inquiry into this tragic accident. I
don't want to speculate on the results of that inquiry until it is
completed," said Chris Hodson, vice-president of the International
Equestrian Federation.
"To my knowledge it is the first time this has happened at the
Asian Games."
Kim was an experienced rider and had won a gold medal on
Wednesday in the dressage event. He had competed in Olympic Games
and was a silver medallist at the last Asiad in Busan, South Korea,
four years ago.
Chef-de-mission of the Korean team, Kim Young-hwan, said the
whole Korean squad was in shock.
"I'm in shock and feel very sad," she said.
"There's a chance of an accident at every event. It's important
to win medals but it's more important that competitors are safe and
return home safely.
"It's a tragedy and many things are going through my mind at the
moment."
The family of Kim, the rider, are rushing to Doha, she
added.
Discussions are underway on whether the Korean team will pull
out of the event as a mark of respect, although Hodson indicated
the event, suspended because of the accident and heavy rain, would
likely continue.
He added that the death would inevitably force some deep
thinking about the future of equestrian as an Asian Games and
Olympic sport, but expressed confidence that its standing would not
be affected.
"It's not just activists concerned about this. It's all of us in
the equestrian community," he said of injuries to riders and
horses.
"I'm absolutely confident that equestrian will continue and we
will discover that there are lessons to be learnt from this."
It is the eighth death linked to the Asian Games, although the
first of an athlete.
Last week a 60-year-old Indian woman working as a volunteer died
after being hit by a car as she crossed a busy, city centre
street.
On Wednesday, a man turned himself into police following the
deaths of six young Qatari women who were killed in a car crash as
they returned from watching the Asian Games torch relay.
The deaths of athletes while competing is a rare occurance, but
does happen.
In August, the best friend of Britain's Zara Phillips - the
daughter of Princess Anne - died at an equestrian event in England
when her horse fell on top of her, crushing her skull.
(China Daily December 8, 2006)