Winter Olympics 2018: IOC calls for 'respect' after Canadian speed skater Kim Boutin receives death threats online

Pyeongchang: Olympics organisers called for “respect” on Wednesday after Canadian short-track speed skater Kim Boutin was abused online by Korean fans. [caption id=“attachment_4352627” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Bronze medallist Kim Boutin of Canada reacts on the podium. Reuters[/caption] Boutin, 23, put her Twitter account into “protected” mode after a flood of abusive messages following the women’s 500m race, in which South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong was disqualified. Boutin’s critics said she should have been disqualified instead of Choi, South Korea’s leading medal hope, after they came together mid-race. “Clearly we would ask everyone to respect the athletes and their performances and support the great work they’ve done and support the Olympic spirit,” said International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams. “These Olympics are about bringing different countries together to compete in a spirit of friendship.” Team Canada said they had referred the matter to their security staff and Canadian police. “The health, safety and security of all our team members is our top priority and as such we are working closely with Speed Skating Canada, our security personnel and the (Canadian police),” a statement said. Choi, 19, finished a narrow second to Italy’s Arianna Fontana before she was disqualified for interference, while Boutin took bronze.