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Arbitration Panel Dismisses South Korean Protest VOA Sports 24 Feb 2002 01:25 UTC 
An arbitration panel in Salt Lake City has dismissed a South Korean protest that would have stripped American short-track speedskating star Apolo Anton Ohno of the gold medal in the men's 1500 meter race.
In a two and one-half-hour session Saturday before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the U.S. Olympic Committee successfully argued the South Koreans had no credible reason to dispute a call that disqualified frontrunner Kim Dong-sung.
Kim was disqualified minutes after crossing the finish line first, when the race judge ruled he had interfered with Ohno when the U.S. star tried to pass on the final lap.
Ohno's victory was at the heart of a threat by the South Korean Olympic Committee to use all measures necessary to overturn the ruling, including a possible boycott of the closing ceremony on Sunday. The boycott threat was withdrawn Friday, when International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge met with the South Korean delegation.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
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