The latest controversy to hit the Beijing Winter Olympics raised questions about alleged foul play by a Chinese skater during a race Monday.
Chinese skater Fan Kexin is accused of throwing a marker placed on the ice at the skates of Canadian competitor Alyson Charles during the chaotic quarterfinals of the women's 500 meters.
The video of the women's short track speed skating competition was viewed more than three million times just hours after being posted to Reddit, sparking a wave of comments that raised questions.
The suspicious act occurred in the middle of the final lap, when the Chinese skater was trailing in the last place visible in the video.
Fan, 28, reached over another skater's leg and appeared to slide the marker forward into 23-year-old Charles' skates.
The Canadian skater tripped and fell on the ice, and the race's controversial conclusion left many questioning the legitimacy of the outcome.
“Rewatch the video footage…it was the Chinese competitor who placed the marker in Alyson Charles's path, not Florence…she is not touching him in any way…The fan's arm is in front of Florence obstructing and then hitting the marker with his hand and then moving it,” Twitter user Glen Molloy said.
A Canadian sports reporter for the Daily Hive, Rob Williams, asked on Twitter whether it was “sabotage or accidental contact.”
“The slow-motion replay of this morning's short track speed skating event seems suspicious,” he said, sharing his article that raised questions about the race.
One Reddit user who described this move as cheating noted, “I had to watch it a few times to see that the hand throwing the puck actually belongs to the skater on the outside, reaching one arm in front of the skater Canadian on the inside of the turn. I must say that the trap shows astonishing precision and coordination. A real Olympic level trap.
Canadian skater Kim Boutin won the race to advance to the semi-finals and her teammate Florence Brunelle finished second. However, Brunelle was disqualified for tripping Charles and Fan. This sanction allowed the Italian Arianna Valcepina to place second in the semi-final rankings.
Charles was also allowed to advance, as he was second before he tripped and the fall was not his fault.
In the final, Italian Arianna Fontana won the gold medal, while Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands won silver and Boutin of Australia took home the bronze medal.
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