LONDON - The International Olympic Committee is withholding a bronze medal from a South Korean football player until disciplinary cases are completed after he displayed a political sign while celebrating a victory against Japan.
The IOC told South Korea to bar Park Jong-woo from the medal ceremony at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
IOC President Jacques Rogge says football's governing body FIFA must first decide on possible sanctions, and that "we will take a possible decision of what will happen with the medal later."
After South Korea won on Friday, Park displayed a sign with the national flag and a slogan supporting sovereignty over disputed islets that Japan also claims.
The IOC and FIFA prohibit on-field political statements.
