Russia volleyball coach accused of racism over ‘slant eye’ gesture after victory vs South Korea
An Italian coach of the Russian women’s volleyball team has been accused of racism after making a “slant eye” gesture following victory against South Korea in Olympic qualifying.
Russia defeated South Korea in five sets on home soil in Kaliningrad at the weekend, booking their spot in next year’s Summer Games in Tokyo.
Following the match, Russian assistant coach Sergio Busato was pictured appearing to make a “slant eyed” gesture amid the celebrations.
The Korea Volleyball Association has reportedly said it will formally complain to international governing body FIVB and the Russian Volleyball Federation for the alleged racist slight.
"We're trying to confirm if such an act is punishable by FIVB," said a KVA official cited by Yonhap news agency.
"We decided to take these steps to ensure something like this won't occur again."
Russia recovered from two sets down to beat South Korea and top their qualifying group, after both teams had previously defeated Mexico and Canada.
Italian Busato, 53, has been working in Russian men's and women's volleyball at club and national level since the turn of the century, including with the gold medal-winning male team at the London 2012 Games.
The Russian Volleyball Federation said it has not yet received any complaint regarding the allegations against Busato, TASS reports.
