Pyeongchang 2018 wanted Adam Pengilly to remain in South Korea following an altercation with a security guard with a view to further action being taken against the Briton, it was revealed today.
IOC Presidential spokesperson Mark Adams confirmed Pyeongchang 2018 had pressured them in to not allowing Pengilly to leave South Korea.
Adams said the IOC persuaded organisers that the 40-year-old Briton should instead be sent home from the Winter Olympic Games.
Adams also performed a u-turn on his claims yesterday that the IOC took swift action because the man at the centre of the incident was a volunteer, admitting he was actually a paid security guard, who is also a student.
Pengilly was persuaded to leave Pyeongchang and return home yesteday after apologising for what he claims was a verbal exchange while attempting to enter the transport mall in Alpensia here on Thursday (February 15).
insidethegames understands Pengilly was formally requested to apologise by the IOC before he could leave South Korea
“Pyeongchang 2018 at the very highest level asked for him originally not to be allowed to leave the country,” said Adams.
“There was quite some pressure from Pyeongchang 2018 for further action and then when the discussion took place, it was decided this was the appropriate action after the discussion and all the evidence was looked at.
“It was agreed with Pyeongchang 2018.”
The exact details of the incident remain unclear and it is still not known if there was any physical altercation.
Pengilly denies local reports that he assaulted him, dragged him along the ground and used racist language and insists he was unaware that the guard had fallen over at any point.
He apologised for his “poor” behaviour in a letter sent to the guard.
Adams claimed a police report of the altercation mentions how the security guard, known only as Kim, received bruises and scratches.
He claimed again he had not seen CCTV footage crucial in determining what actually took place, despite promising to do so yesterday.
“He is not a volunteer,” Adams said.
“He was a student who happened to be in his first or second year at university and he wanted to his bit for the Games and for South Korea.
“He is part-time helping out with security.
“We had to act quickly because he was part of the workforce working on security.
“If he was full-time we would have done the same thing.”
Pengilly has been an outspoken and often lone critic of IOC policy in recent years and was the only member to vote against when asked to back the Executive Board’s response to the Russian doping scandal in 2016.
The former skeleton slider’s membership of the IOC is due to come to an end on the day of the Pyeongchang 2018 Closing Ceremony on February 25.
