‘I can resist everything but temptation’ – Oscar Wilde (1854 -1900)
Last week, the sporting world was once again rocked with allegations of a bribery scandal, which seems to have now become par for the course in today’s universe. The Times newspaper ran a story that the martial art sport of Taekwondo had been only included as a medal event for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, after some IOC voting members had been the recipients of bribes.
In a series of exclusive interviews with the UK publication, the whistleblower, Ho Kim, a 66-year-old South Korean, claims to have facilitated the payments while serving as the head of marketing and PR at the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) before the Sydney Games. Kim alleges that prior to the 1994 IOC congress, he and others were instructed by Dr Kim Unyong, WTF’s founding president, to get the IOC’s backing for the Korean martial art, by doing whatever was necessary. Kim claims to have made arrangements for two Daewoo cars (Korean manufactured) to be delivered to an IOC member in Mali, while other voting members received cash payments in brown envelopes. Kim further stated that officials were reimbursed for first-class flights which had already been paid for by Dr Kim.
The former senior official also accused the IOC of complicity in the elevation of C K Wu to the presidency of the AIBA (now renamed the International Boxing Association), under whom Kim had served as executive director for eight years until his dismissal in 2015.
As in all allegations of this nature, the standard operating procedure was followed immediately, with both the IOC and World Taekwondo (Federation was dropped from its title in June 2017) quickly denying any knowledge of the bribery charges and requesting to see the evidence. The IOC responded by delivering a martial arts style blow to Kim’s credibility in a statement: “Throughout all this time, even before his dismissal, Mr Ho Kim for many years, was persona non grata at the IOC.” The organisation further stated that Kim had neither approached the IOC ethics commission nor called its integrity or compliance hotlines.
In its press release WT stated, “World Taekwondo has absolutely no knowledge about any of these allegations against the former administration.” It added, “World Taekwondo urges that all evidence behind these allegations is shared with the World Taekwondo Integrity Committee so a proper investigation can be conducted. In the meantime, World Taekwondo continues to uphold the highest standards of good governance and integrity in the administration of our sport.”
Aficionados of the martial arts no doubt raised eyebrows following Taekwondo’s meteoric rise to Olympic discipline in a relatively short time. Taekwondo (alternatively spelt Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do), which is of South Korean origin and dates back to the 1940s, was first showcased at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, in South Korea, and the 1992 Barcelona Games, as a demonstration sport. On both occasions South Korea dominated the display in the eight weight classes of both the men’s and women’s divisions.
Prior to Taekwondo’s appearance at Sydney, the only other martial art discipline at the summer games was judo, which debuted at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, in Japan. Karate, which originated in East Asia a few centuries ago, only became an Olympic event last year in Tokyo. Other forms of martial arts such as Kung Fu, which goes back several centuries, Muay Thai (18th century), and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (1920s) were all surpassed by Taekwondo to the highest stage.
Sports observers will probably just shrug their shoulders at the latest allegations. In a few weeks time, commentators and journalists will be providing subtle reminders as to how and why the FIFA World Cup is being hosted in Qatar at this odd time of year – disrupting most of the leagues around the world. Looking on from the outside, one cannot (read as – is not allowed to) observe the inner machinations of these very wealthy world sporting organisations which wield great influence over their associates and often quickly circle the wagons around those they favour.
Despite the organisations issuing press statements disparaging the accusations cast in their direction one must harbour doubts as to whether the officials accused of wrongdoings succumbed to the temptations dangled in front of them. Perhaps, the onlooker’s perception of this process is skewed by different human values, and these offerings are no longer viewed as corrupt activities or bribes, but rather entitlements and fringe benefits, such as first-class travel and five-star hotels, which are part and parcel of these highly coveted positions.
Oscar Wilde, the famous Irish poet and playwright, known for his sharp wit wrote the following paragraph in his first novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (April 1891), “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.”
Wilde, who was obviously wrestling with temptation at the time, soon after penned the now famous aphorism, “I can resist anything but temptation.” It is uttered by Lord Darlington, a character in Wilde’s wildly successful play, Lady Windermere’s Fan, which debuted in London in 1892, and continued to be in production in one form or another ever since. “Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which require strength, strength and courage not to yield to,” is another one of his pithy observations. Wilde knew what he spoke of. Succumbing to the lust of temptation ultimately led to his bitter demise.
The Oxford Dictionary defines temptation as the desire to do something, usually wrong or unwise; the compromise of long-term fulfilment for short-term enjoyment. The lure of temptation is masked in all forms of matter and dealing with it is easier said than done. A study titled “Trait Self-control and Avoidance of Temptation” published in the psychology journal Personalities and Individual Differences (1975) asserts, “High trait self-control has been traditionally described as a keen ability to resist temptation. The present research suggests that high trait self-control is linked to avoiding, rather than merely resisting temptation.”
That being said, there are examples among us of men who possessed the strength of will to just say no. Approached by Ali Bacher to join a Rebel West Indies tour of South Africa in the early 1980s, Viv Richards refused “a huge offer of well over US$500,000” (reported in some circles as seven figures), according to his autobiography, Sir Vivian (2000). Viv was simply not interested and viewed the proposal as “selling your soul.” Unfortunately, not everyone lives by the same principles and morals.